A Lehighton woman is worried that more tractor-trailers brought on by a road project will damage a bridge.

Deb McGowan, of Ashtown Drive, stated her concerns to borough council on Monday several weeks after a project to reconstruct a portion of Route 443/Blakeslee Boulevard began.

McGowan said the project has resulted in more traffic and tractor-trailers being diverted over Ashtown bridge.

“I’m here because of the weight limit on the bridge,” McGowan said. “They’re going to tear that up.”

McGowan said she can only see the situation worsening if nothing is done.

“It’s a bad situation, and we would like some consideration,” she said.

Councilman Ryan Saunders said he understood McGowan’s concerns.

“We should do some type of (engineering) study,” Saunders said. “It is our bridge.”

Council President Grant Hunsicker then weighed in on the situation.

“There was never a weight restriction on that bridge,” Hunsicker said.

Borough Manager Nicole Beckett said she doesn’t recall there being a weight restriction on the bridge either.

However, Councilman Donnie Rehrig said that unfortunately there is no other alternative at this time.

Councilman Joe Flickinger noted the amount of traffic on that road has increased exponentially in recent years as more and more people travel it to avoid the heavy traffic on 443.

The project began Feb. 15 and will rehabilitate the portion of roadway from the Carbon Plaza Mall in Mahoning Township to the Route 209/Thomas J. McCall Memorial Bridge in Lehighton.

H&K Group Inc. of Skippack is the general contractor on the $21 million project that is anticipated to be complete in September 2024.

Motorists can expect to experience some lane restrictions and changing traffic patterns on Route 443 between Ashtown Drive and Route 902/South Ninth Street.

Those will remain in effect over the next several weeks as there will be flaggers controlling traffic on that particular section of 443 while workers move equipment and set up a traffic pattern shift.

Lane restrictions will be in effect for much of the project.