The Tilghman Street bridge construction projects in Upper Macungie are on track to be completed at the end of August, according to PennDOT.

Ron Young, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 5, said the project to replace the deck and beams on the Tilghman Street Bridge over the Norfolk Southern Railroad and the complete replacement of the bridge over Chapmans Road are moving along on schedule. 

“They’ve been working long days, sun up to sundown and weekends,” Young said.

The construction began in mid-March and is projected to cost $4.9 million. Originally, it had been estimated to take 1 ½ years but the contractor is condensing the work into a shorter time frame by working longer hours, Young said.  

For a while some truckers were ignoring the signs that directed them to take the official posted detour route that took them on Route 22, Interstate 78 and 100. But Berks-Lehigh Regional Police started cracking down on trucks that were traveling the side roads detour a few weeks ago and that seemed to discourage them, Young said.

“I haven’t gotten any complaints in weeks,” he said.

Early in the construction, some of the businesses along Tilghman near the construction complained that the detours were confusing some of their customers.

“When it first went into effect there was some growing pains,” Young said. “We still get a few people who aren’t familiar with the area who make a wrong turn here and there.”