A lack of state approval for its proposed new detour due to a bridge project has resulted in the cancellation of this year’s Greater Northern Lehigh Halloween Parade.

The Northern Lehigh Events Committee posted word of the announcement on its Facebook page Tuesday afternoon.

“As we grow ever closer to the witching hour, we don’t want to leave our participants hanging, so the decision has been made to cancel the parade for 2024,” the post states. “If we find out our detour has been approved, we’ll begin working on resuming the parade for 2025; if not, we’ll continue to explore other options but we may have to pause until the Walnut Street bridge project has been completed.

“No one is more disappointed about this decision than our committee is, but we need to make sure there is a safe and viable detour available during the parade. We appreciate the support and understanding of the Northern Lehigh community and look forward to the parade’s return.”

Tiffany Rehrig-Schaeffer, Northern Lehigh Events Committee co-chair, said Wednesday the decision to cancel the parade was difficult.

“The Northern Lehigh Events Committee has been planning and organizing the annual parade for almost 10 years, so the decision to pause this year’s event is not one that we take lightly,” Rehrig-Schaeffer said. “But, it’s our responsibility to provide a safe and viable detour route during the parade, and with the abrupt closing of the Walnut Street bridge in Slatington, we don’t want to rush or push for a detour that is unsafe.

“We understand the disappointment of the community, but it’s impossible to more disappointed than us. So, we are going to focus on the positive and plan to sponsor other events this season like the return of our Haunt Your House decorating contest and a scavenger hunt. We remain hopeful that the parade will be able to return next year.”

Last October, the Northern Lehigh Events Committee held the 115th annual Greater Northern Lehigh Halloween Parade.

Bridge project underway

Closed to traffic since June, the Walnut Street bridge will remain shut down until it has been replaced.

The Lehigh County engineer said the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation had inspected the bridge and found structural failures.

The bridge was already slated for replacement as part of the realignment project affecting Main Street and Walnut Street.

The Walnut Street bridge is located between Main Street and Church Street, and goes over Trout Creek and Factory Street in Slatington.

The detour uses Main Street and Church Street, both of which are two-way streets.

In addition to the bridge closure, the easterly sidewalk across the bridge is closed “for pedestrian safety,” but the westerly sidewalk is available for pedestrian use.

The left-hand turn onto Walnut Street from Main Street is also not available for use because the bridge is closed to vehicular traffic.

The bridge replacement and roadway realignment project is being managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The county said bids for the construction of the new bridge are tentatively scheduled to be opened on Dec. 12.

Once a bid is accepted, the bridge and roadway realignment project could take 2 to 3 years to complete at a cost of about $7.5 million.