Work on the McCall Bridge in Lehighton has not, I repeat, has not stopped.

Rumors about work ceasing because of worse than expected conditions on the 16-span, steel deck truss bridge began circulating Tuesday.But Ronald J. Young Jr., district press officer for the Pennsylvania of Transportation District 5, wants to put those rumors to rest."What you are hearing is untrue," Young said this morning. "The contractor, J.D. Eckman Inc., has staff working every day right now and intends to continue doing so throughout this summer to get all lanes back open on the U.S. 209/Thomas J. McCall Memorial Bridge by the end of the summer" with the anticipated project completion date of May 2015.He said that crews are on-site working from 7 a.m. until about 8 p.m. daily. Currently, they are sandblasting, painting, repairing steel and working on the bridge decking.Crews were seen at the site around 7:30 this morning, and Young said work is continuing as usual.This phase of the $11.8 million renovation project began on June 6.Traffic patterns were altered to allow crews to work on the bridge. Currently, southbound traffic is being detoured on Canal and Bridge streets in Weissport; while Route 209 northbound remains open for single-lane traffic for people heading to the Lehigh Valley or the Pennsylvania Turnpike.Headaches, headaches and more headachesSince the detour started, traffic has been snarled at the intersection of routes 443 and 209, backing up miles along Route 443. A temporary traffic signal was also installed at the intersection of Bridge Street and 209.On June 6, traffic patterns were horrendous, with significant wait times.PennDOT crews adjusted the timing on the traffic signals to help cut down on waits, but motorists are still reporting delays.Businesses in that immediate area are also being affected.Castle Grill owner Frank Potoczak posted on the restaurant's Facebook site that until further notice, the hours of operation will change."Due to the amazing traffic anomaly in Lehighton right outside our front door, we are being forced to close Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday," he wrote. "Our new hours until further notice will be Friday-Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. We apologize for any inconvenience."He added, "It hurts to even write this post. But it is beyond our control. Sad part is this traffic is taking a toll on many of our local small businesses. Stay tuned for any updates."