At the May 11 meeting, Allen Township Board of Supervisors discussed the replacement of the Howertown Road bridge.

Replacement of the Howertown Road bridge over Dry Run is a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation project that should begin construction in late 2022. The project will widen the bridge and roadway to address line of sight issues, in addition to completely replacing the span.

In the proposed plan, northbound traffic will have to follow a 5-mile detour around the project location. Board members and residents alike voiced concern over this at the supervisors meeting March 23, citing a delay for first responders.

Supervisors Dale Hassler and Gerald Montanari, township Manager Ilene Eckhart and Engineer Stan Wojciechowski met virtually with PennDOT to discuss a potential solution. PennDOT was not willing to discuss the temporary signals allowing alternating traffic; however, it did seem more agreeable to detouring southbound traffic instead.

The board also discussed the Sunrise Express lot line adjustment. There was some concern about one of the three driveways.

A note will be made on the plan that the driveway leading to the pump station and old schoolhouse will be closed to traffic unless permission is granted, since the highway occupancy permit is owned by Allen Township. If construction on that lot is planned in the future, another permit could be obtained.

The lot line adjustment was approved by the board, contingent on the note being added and other comments being addressed.

Magisterial District Judge Robert Hawke addressed the board to give a brief description on his background and accomplishments. Hawke has been a district judge since 2010 and is up for re-election. He is also a member of the Northampton County Judges Association, vice president of the District 10 Judges Association and other committees.

One of Hawke’s more recent accomplishments, he said, is the program he created with the Carbon Intermediate Unit meant to deal with truancy and increase attendance. The program looks at the causes of truancy, whether they be mental health, poverty or technology, and partners with the family to increase attendance. Fines are eliminated after successful completion of a seminar.

Hawke also has a similar ideology for people affected by low-grade drug and marijuana charges. Like with the truancy program, charges and fines will be dropped after successful completion of a rehab program. Those who do not want to attend a rehab program will have to go to court and will be ordered to take the rehabilitation program anyway.

The next Allen Township Board of Supervisors meeting will be held 7 p.m. May 25 at the fire company building, 3530 Howertown Road.