Traffic on Bethlehem Pike between Jones Ave and McCloskey Road at 3:15 pm, is backed up for 2-3 lights.It’s 8:10 in the morning and you’ve been sitting on Bethlehem Pike for 20 minutes. You’re only halfway through your commute, waiting for the now one-lane traffic to move forward. For many SCH students, this situation has become a harsh reality and a sizable component of their mornings.

In June, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation repaved the 1.9 mile stretch of Bethlehem Pike that runs from Paper Mill Road to Valley Green Road, scaling Bethlehem Pike down from a four-lane road with two lanes in each direction to a two-lane road with one lane in each direction and a central turning lane.

Diagram shows the difference between the original road, pictured on the left, and the changes, pictured below.

PennDOT and Springfield Township have said that driver safety was the biggest concern when the changes were made.

“The primary driver here was improving safety,” said Springfield Township Commissioner Jim Lee. “There had been a number of accidents.” With the previous pattern, driver safety was at risk because “people would be swerving around cars that were turning left.” Drivers were also at risk when turning out of retail spaces because they “had to cross over two lanes instead of one to get to the other side,” Lee said.

With the change in traffic patterns, many students have found their commute to SCH significantly longer.

“I have to wake up ten minutes earlier to then just sit in traffic,” said Jenna Seidman, a senior at SCH Academy. “At this age we need to get our sleep, and it’s aggravating to lose sleep because of that.” Seidman cited that “Without sleep, you can’t perform well in school, so this could be a big issue for students at SCH.”

In addition to the long commute times, drivers have also seen an increase in aggression.

“I’ve been commuting on Bethlehem Pike since seventh grade,” said Maille Colin, a senior at SCH Academy, “I thought they may have done it so people would stop speeding, but I think it just causes drivers to be more aggressive.”

Social media has also taken notice of this increase in aggressive driving practices. A user by the name of ‘crzyboy’ took to Reddit saying, “I see folks jumping into the left turn only lane to bypass traffic, then get road rage when nobody lets them back in.”

Jim Lee explained that “Bethlehem Pike is a state road, so PennDot makes the decisions for it.” Lee explained that before his time as Commissioner, “Springfield township actually brought this to PennDOT and said [Springfield Township] was going to pay for it, but PennDOT said no.” He explained that about three years ago “PennDOT brought it to [Springfield Township], and said that they were paying for it.”

The approval process was not without bumps in the road, though.

“The fire department was concerned about their response time,” said Lee. He added that many residents were concerned about what it would do to the traffic.

During road construction, there were inherent delays to allow workers to repave the road. In the first few weeks after the paving was finished, though, drivers began to see issues.
Traffic on Bethlehem Pike between Chesney Ln and Haws Ln at 3:15 pm, is congested.

Lee said that “at first, the timing of the lights was not set,” and that it “created delays and backups for drivers on [Bethlehem Pike].” Now “it is mostly ironed out, and it’s a safer experience.” He continued, “There are definitely some slower times, especially rush hour and school drop-off.”

Overall, because the project was completed so recently, it’s not certain what kind of impact it will have. “You’ll see how it goes over time,” said Lee.