Myerstown Borough Council discusses Rt. 501 bridge closure, traffic concerns

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Myerstown Borough Council on Tuesday discussed traffic concerns of residents following the temporary closure of the Myerstown portion of state Route 501 due to the Tulpehocken Creek bridge replacement.

The official PennDOT detour takes traffic through state routes 897 and 422, then back to 501 to avoid the Myerstown segment of 501 now closed. However, some vehicles (possibly trying to avoid a lengthy detour, or missing initial detour signs) are using borough roads.

A PennDOT release said work is expected to be completed Dec. 3.

Read More: PennDOT: Detour for replacement of Rt. 501 bridge over Tulpehocken begins 6/23

Residents report that incoming traffic — including trucks and trailers — have been using borough roads as shortcuts, despite roads not being suitable for heavy traffic.

Council members expressed concerns that frequent truck traffic may damage newly paved roads, which were not paved with the expectation of non-residential traffic. Residents have also reported damage to private property, both due to vehicles using yards to make turns and speeding traffic causing damage (such as broken mirrors) to parked cars.

Residents of South Locust Street said they’ve noticed speeding and even unreported fender benders along the street

Councilman Ronald Ream lamented that some of the traffic may originate from some truck drivers following their phone GPS and not paying attention to road signs.

Pennsylvania State Police Sgt. Maher said that, now they have been alerted to the issue, the state police will increase patrols on borough roads that have proven most problematic during the detour.

Council members said they would reach out to PennDOT about installing additional signage so incoming drivers are aware of the detour, since only PennDOT has authority to place signs on state roads. Council is requesting signage:

• Eastbound on Route 422 by the Turkey Hill.
• East of South Railroad Street on Route 422.
• North on Route 501, by a digital sign asking for local traffic only.
• On Richland Avenue, asking trucks not to turn north onto South Railroad Street.

The borough also plans to ask that Jackson Township, adjacent to Myerstown, move its temporary flashing sign to Locust Street.

The borough agreed to look into the possibility of installing temporary speed bumps along South Locust Street. As the fixtures would be temporary, a traffic study would not be required, but council would need to find speed bumps large enough to be suitable for 25 mph traffic.

In request to a resident request, council agreed to examine roads planned for crosswalk painting later this year to ensure that, when school starts, kids can safely cross borough streets that may have additional traffic due to the detour.

In other news, council:

• Temporarily rejected a request for payment of $116,930.52 to Miller Soil Solutions for the 2025 roadway project of secondary streets and alleys, citing multiple issues that still need rectified by the contractor.
• Unanimously approved a contract with IGS for electric supply and natural gas for 53 and 48 months respectively, with increases on both. The increase in electricity, from less than 5 cents per kilowatt-hour to 8 cents, will have a more significant impact on budgeting.
• Agreed not to renew the borough’s email plan for council and the recreation board, with councilwoman Kathy Yang opposed.
• Unanimously approved a request by ELCO FFA to use West Main Avenue, South Goodwill Street, West Carpenter Avenue, South Locust Street, West Stoever Avenue, and South Race Street for a car, truck, and tractor cruise Aug. 16 from 12 to 3 p.m.
• Unanimously agreed to direct the borough solicitor to draft an ordinance codifying the last five passed ordinances.
• Unanimously approved minutes, bills, and reports.

Myerstown Borough Council meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. These meetings are open to the public and do not require prior registration.