Ashtown Drive access to and from Route 443/Blakeslee Boulevard is closed between Route 443 and Blakeslee Boulevard as part of the ongoing Route 443 reconstruction project. Ashtown Drive traffic is being detoured on Bridge Street, Route 902/S. 9th Street and PA 443/Blakeslee Boulevard.

The $21,118,085 project to reconstruct Route 443 began in January and is anticipated to be complete in September 2024.

The Ashtown part of the project is projected to be complete July 9.

The project area is Route443/Blakeslee Boulevard from the Carbon Plaza Mall in Mahoning Township to the US 209/Thomas J. McCall Memorial Bridge in Lehighton Borough.

Work on PA 443 includes reconstructing approximately 2.25 miles of roadway, adding a center turn lane along the corridor, adding left-turn lanes and traffic signal improvements at the PA 443 intersections with Mall Road/Mall Lane and East Penn Street/Mahoning Mountain Road designed to improve traffic flow and reduce crashes, drainage improvements, traffic signing, utility installation/relocation, new guiderail, pavement markings and other miscellaneous construction. The project also includes rehabilitating the PA 443 bridge over Mahoning Creek.

In addition, the Route 902/South 9th Street bridge over Mahoning Creek will be replaced and the intersection of routes 902 and 443 will be realigned slightly to the east to make a “T” intersection.