Lehighton Borough Council on a 6-0 vote Monday awarded a contract for the administration of Remington & Vernick Engineers to perform a traffic report for the intersection of Second and Iron streets in an amount not to exceed $7,840.

Before the vote, borough Manager Dane DeWire said it would cost about $48,000 to install a new blinking light at the intersection.

DeWire added that they’ve heard many concerns from crossing guards, and that a four-way stop makes more sense than a traffic light.

Borough engineer Vanessa Nedrick, of Remington & Vernick Engineers, said the permit for that intersection goes back to 1968.

Lynette Moyer, who has been a crossing guard for over 20 years, said her concern is that parking is bad on Iron Street.

“Something has to be done,” Moyer said. “It is really bad there.”

DeWire said the issue is that people see the green light at the top of the hill and try to make a beeline to get through.

After the meeting, DeWire added, “Although this is not a state road, PennDOT dictates all traffic signals in the municipality, so whether we want to replace or remove, RE will complete the paperwork at the state level under their contract.”

Councilwoman Jordyn Miller was absent.

At last month’s meeting, council said it was looking into new traffic signals to replace the outdated setups at two intersections in the borough.

Council at that time discussed the Second and Iron street traffic signal, with a four-way stop suggested as a potential option.

DeWire said the borough’s Light & Power Department received proposals for the implementation of new traffic signals with more industry-standard poles and flashers to replace the outdated setups at the intersections of Iron and Second, as well as Mahoning and Fourth.

Mayor Ryan Saunders mentioned the line of sight at two points of the intersection, and agreed that a four-way stop could prevent further incidents.

No action was taken on the matter.

After that meeting, DeWire said the proposals received were nearly $50,000 for each intersection, “so we would like to explore alternatives before discussing the possibility of modernization, assuming the systems in place will eventually become outdated.”

DeWire noted the borough partners regularly with traffic signal contractors, but ultimately, the signals are owned and operated by the municipality.