We had a little money once / They were pushing through a four-lane highway
I would just like to thank all you generous taxpayers for giving money to my Lehigh Valley hometown for expenditures vital to the continued viability of national transportation. This is from an e-newsletter from my congressman, Charlie Dent:
Also in Emmaus, I presented a check for $440,000 from the Highway Bill that will upgrade signals at two railroad crossings in the borough. I also presented officials from the Borough of Catasauqua $880,000 from the Highway Bill to fund a long-needed extension of Second Street, replacing the dangerous intersections at Race and Lehigh streets. This project is vitally important to the transportation needs of the entire Lehigh Valley.
I grew up in the Borough of Emmaus blocks from the railroad crossings in question. I can assure you that neither of them is on an interstate, or even a particularly major PA state highway. It’s hard to imagine anything more properly local than railroad crossings on two-lane residential streets in municipalities of under 15,000. The Catasauqua part, related as it is to transportation around the airport, could affect traffic patterns with a somewhat wider scope, but again, I don’t think it has anything to do with I-78. The 15th District got a total of $56.1 million dollars from the highway bill this year.
$440,000 to upgrade two signals…?
I’m in the wrong business.
I know; now that I’m home and the remains of a picturesque snow are on the ground, I’m hoping to see them set off to good advantage. (The existing signals, I mean; I don’t think they’ve been upgraded yet.)