The Route 309 corridor in Tamaqua area, particularly in Rush Township, was the site of numerous crashes, some fatal, during 2015.

Increased traffic in the heavily commercial corridor has led to an increase in collisions and in their severity.Several trouble spots identified by police include: Route 309, also called Claremont Avenue; Route 54; Lincoln Drive; TIDE Road (Walmart) and Fairview Street/Ben Titus Road.Rush Township Police Sgt. Duane Frederick said multiple issues contributed to the crashes: speed, confusion over traffic signals and motorists entering or exiting 309 at places where the line of sight is not sufficient.In February, Frederick singled out continuing problems at the TIDE Road intersection. Motorists heading south on Route 309 and turning left at that intersection have a left-turn arrow.TIDE Road leads to the Walmart Supercenter and the industries of Tamaqua Industrial Development Enterprises.Similarly, crashes continue along the South Tamaqua highway, including one in March that took the life of Panther Valley High School student Autumn Young, 17.