Beam delivery for the Route 903 bridge project in Jim Thorpe will begin Monday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and borough officials.

The $28 million project includes construction of a new 961-foot, four-span continuous steel plate girder bridge over the Lehigh River, Lehigh Canal, Reading Blue Mountain Northern Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railroad.High Steel Erectors, a sub-contractor for Allen A. Myers Construction Company, will be delivering and erecting the beams.The first round of beams is being erected on the west side of the river, and will be entering Jim Thorpe via Interstate 81 to Route 54 west through Hometown to Nesquehoning, taking Route 209 north to Jim Thorpe."There may be traffic congestion along the delivery routes as well as in the area of the bridge as a result of some of the beams being so large," said Ron Young, PennDOT spokesman.Jim Thorpe Police Chief Joseph Schatz said the borough was informed there would be "20-minute traffic stoppages" on Route 209 for each beam delivered.Two to four beams are expected to be delivered per day.Deliveries will be weekdays only, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m."The beams will be backed up into the county lot and placed into position to be swung onto the piers," Schatz said. "We met with PennDOT and the stoppages were really the only solution they had for us.There will be a total of 59 beams, varying in size from 15 feet to 133 feet long and ranging in weight from 20,000 pounds to 150,000 pounds.Beams being erected on the east side of the river are expected to start being delivered in early April, and will be entering Jim Thorpe via Interstate 80 east to Route 115 south to Route 903 south through Blakeslee and Penn Forest."Those beams are going around Front Street and down to the Jim Thorpe Market, where they will be backed up the riverbed and cranes will put them in place," Schatz said.Traffic will be detoured across Second Street.The borough asked about night delivery or delivery by rail. It was told PennDOT regulations for a load of that size do not allow for night delivery, and rail delivery would be too expensive, according to borough President Betsy Ahner.A detour on Route 209 was also shot down."We were told it would be astronomical to try and do a detour plan for just 20-minute stoppages," Schatz said.PennDOT will be putting up signs encouraging drivers to use alternate routes. Beam delivery is expected to be complete the week of May 8."With large beams like that, we know it's going to be a big show when the first few are delivered," Schatz said, "We're hoping after that it wears off. It's going to be some trial and error."The project also includes the construction of three retaining walls, milling and paving of Route 209 from the intersection with Liberty Road to just north of Packer Hill Road, and the removal of the existing Route 903 Bridge.PennDOT expects the entire project to be complete by July 2017.