Pocono News Section

Stroud Area Business Owners Upset About Bridge Construction

Stroud Area Business Owners Upset About Bridge Construction - Monday, March 31, 2008 at 5:13PM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Monday, Mar 31, 2008 @05:13pm EST
EAST STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY- If you plan to drive between Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg -- you better plan to wait. Traffic can only move on one lane in each direction because PennDOT started the second phase of a major repair project on the Veteran's Memorial Bridge Monday.

Adam's Jewelry Owner Sam Salama said, "It's very vital to our community - our society because it connects east and west."

Salama’s store is on the East Stroudsburg side of the bridge. He was disappointed to see construction workers -- because he lost business during the first phase of the project last fall. "When you're coming over the bridge and it's really slowed down - you turn around and go a detour," he added.

The construction is expected to last four months and Sam says that is just not acceptable. "That little bridge - I can rebuild the whole thing in four months if I want to," he joked.

But PennDOT says people underestimate how long it takes to repair a bridge. They have to fix the bridge deck -- replace expansion joints -- and put in new curbs.

Some people worry the construction will prevent emergency vehicles from getting through fast enough. But police tell us -- they learned how to deal with the traffic last time PennDOT shut down lanes.

Stroud Area Regional Police Captain William Parrish said, "Everything went relatively well compared to what it could be."

That's good news - but it doesn't make the drivers stuck in traffic -- or the jewelry store owner - feel much better. "The economy is slow, traffic is slow -- the work on the bridge is slow - so somebody can hurry up please," added Salama.

PennDOT says it often has to shut down bridge lanes for small repairs, so crews decided to do them all as one big project. And once it's complete -- they don't expect to need any repairs for years.