A traffic pattern mix-up in Jim Thorpe Borough on Tuesday left many motorists fuming.

Jim Thorpe Police Chief Joe Schatz said he met with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation representatives Tuesday afternoon and was assured this was a one-time issue."We were concerned as well," Schatz said. "The regular construction at Front and River streets, coupled with construction on Route 209 was causing the congestion. PennDOT told us this isn't an everyday thing."PennDOT spokesman Sean Brown said Tuesday afternoon that it was "a project by Verizon near the Subway on Route 209 that caused the traffic issue."Traffic was backed up for miles in all directions.Stephen Stortz vented his frustration over the standstill."Obviously no one thought ahead when deciding to do these projects all at the same time," he said. "As far I'm concerned there is no reason for traffic to be as bad as it is if the companies and borough worked together or did the work at night."Aimee Strubinger said it took 30 minutes to get from what is known as "The Liberties" near DeeZines Flower Shop on Route 209 to the Turkey Hill in town.At 8:30 a.m., traffic was fine, according to Sonya Rontz, but by 8:45 a.m. things had taken a turn for the worse."I sat on the bridge for 30 minutes," she said. "That was very unacceptable."Chris Kibler said putting up with the traffic delays is worth it for the long-term dividends."We all know about it so you need to plan accordingly," said he said. "It's better to get the work all done at one time than to keep ripping the road apart after they're going to be all new roads. It's the price we need to pay for the improvements to our town."