Orange cones guided traffic Tuesday into a new lane through a sectioned-off area of Delaware Avenue in Palmerton. Borough crews had a section of roadway torn open to fix a leaking pipe connection.

The roadwork was located just south of Spillanes Gym, and the lane shift continued down toward the stop light.Rodger Danielson, Palmerton borough manager, said the leak had been identified recently by a leak detector, which also helped the borough narrow down the location of the leak. The leaking offender was an historic tap on a 10-inch water line. No water pipes burst, he said."That was probably the easiest type of fix to do," Danielson said. "It's the quickest type of fix."Crews began work around 7 a.m., but relocating parking took time to get accomplished. Once traffic was shifted and parking relocated, crews were able to cap off the leak. They finished fixing the leak, covering the whole and replacing the asphalt by about 1:45 p.m.Water service was restored to residents before that time.The cause of the water leak is not known, Danielson said."This type of leak can happen at any time," he said.Ground can shift, winter's freezing and thawing have been known to cause pipes to crack and leak, and age of older pipes can all cause leaking municipality pipes.