A bridge replacement project will divide east and west Tamaqua near Broad and Railroad streets in 2018.

There will be new traffic patterns and parking restrictions. Some two-way streets will become one-way.Yogi Berra might say, "It's déjà vu all over again."In some ways, it'll be similar to the East Broad Street bridge project of 2013-14 which resulted in 50 miles of detours in effect for 16 months.This time, though, altered traffic patterns necessitated by major excavation of the roadway might be even more concerning.At an April 5 meeting, the Federal Highway Administration and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation came to town to discuss the ramifications.What is clear is that replacement of the West Broad Street Bridge over the Wabash Creek is expected to start in summer of 2018 and finish before school starts in the fall.That's good news on a few levels. First, the time frame of three months sounds bearable.Secondly, those months fall during the summer when few, if any, school buses would figure into the scenario.Truth is, traffic from five large schools funnels into West Broad Street: St. Jerome's Regional, Tamaqua Elementary, Tamaqua Area Middle School, Tamaqua Area High School, and Lehigh Carbon Community College - Morgan Campus. It's a relief to many to know that most schools will be on hiatus at that time.Still, many are voicing fears about the planned detour.The alternate route will send tractor-trailer traffic up and down Stadium Hill, plus up and down an even longer, more dangerous hill on Spruce Street.Some fear the town could have the equivalent of a "Broad Mountain situation" within borough limits."I predict there will be trucks losing their brakes by the time they reach Pieracini's Market," said a former trucker.As for trucks heading westbound, some are predicting it'll be nearly impossible for loaded tractor-trailers to pull out from a complete stop at the corner of Spruce and Hunter streets. A red stoplight at that intersection halts traffic on a very steep incline.In a worst-case scenario, a loaded truck could jackknife and block the route. With Broad Street closed and the alternate route blocked, what would that mean in terms of passage for firetrucks and other emergency vehicles?Tamaqua has many steep hills and narrow streets. Founded in 1799 and incorporated 1832, the town and its streets were laid out for horses, buggies and stage coaches.Nobody back then could have envisioned a need for 80,000-pound tractor-trailers to climb or descend steep hills. But that is today's reality. The planned detour essentially turns residential Spruce Street and Stadium Hill into a U.S. highway.One bonus is that, following project completion, PennDOT will repave Spruce, Lehigh and South Railroad streets and construct handicapped curb cuts.In the meantime, the concerns are real.There are no easy answers.Let's hope all drivers take it slowly and carefully, and that the project gets completed on time and without incident.By Donald R. Serfass |

dserfass@tnonline.com