The second phase of the Ninth Street (Route 902) bridge in Lehighton was put in place Wednesday afternoon.

The detour will last about five weeks as the southbound lane of the Ninth Street bridge will be closed.

Motorists will not be able to travel from Bridge Street to Route 443, and the flow of traffic will only be one way heading toward Bridge Street.

Once the second phase is complete, the detour will be removed and traffic will flow unrestricted across the new South Ninth Street bridge.

The traffic restriction on Route 902 west was lifted Wednesday between Route 443/Blakeslee Boulevard and Bridge Street.

Route 902 east is closed and detoured between 443/Blakeslee Boulevard and Bridge Street. The detour will utilize Bridge Street, and routes 209 and 443.

The closures are necessary for work related to the replacement of the 902 bridge over Mahoning Creek as part of the ongoing 443 reconstruction project from the Carbon Plaza Mall in Mahoning Township to the Route 209/Thomas J. McCall Memorial Bridge in Lehighton.

Work on Route 443 includes reconstructing about 2.25 miles, adding a center turn lane along the corridor, adding left-turn lanes and traffic signal improvements at the 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 443 bridge over Mahoning Creek.

In addition, the 902/South Ninth Street bridge over Mahoning Creek is being replaced, and the intersection of 902 and 443 is being realigned slightly to the east to make a “T” intersection.

Work began in January 2021, and is scheduled to finish in September 2024. H&K Group Inc. of Skippack, Montgomery County, is the general contractor on the $21.1 million project.