While work on the interchange at Route 309 and Tilghman Street in South Whitehall Township promises to improve things for drivers when it’s completed, business owners in the area say the ongoing work is causing more than just a traffic headache — it’s hurting their business.
Owners say construction at the interchange has deterred customers and cut into revenue, with some saying business is down by 50%.
PennDOT says relief will soon come. Hopefully those customers come back, too.
“I think when the traffic returns back to normal, it’ll be easier for people to get back in and out,” said Jay Patel, the owner of Deli-Mart at 4225 W. Tilghman St. “As soon as they get done over here.”
The roughly $86 million project from PennDOT, with contractor Allan Myers, has required ramp closures, lane closures and traffic detours for work that will update the interchange, widen Route 309 and create more room for traffic to merge.
The work also includes road drainage improvements, new traffic signals, paving and sidewalks on Tilghman Street, which currently is down to one lane of traffic in both directions between Route 309 and Parkway Road. Construction also extends to Hausman Road, in front of the nearly four-decades-old Trivet Diner.
Diner manager George Panagopoulos blamed construction for making it difficult for drivers to enter and exit the restaurant, cutting parking lot lights and dropping business by 40%.
“It’s tough because you have same payroll, same ‘everything’ going on, and you’re trying to keep afloat [and] the employees you have,” he said, adding the diner has coped by offering “traffic jam specials” like discounts or free kids meals.
David Giovinetto, a barber for Five Star Barbershop at 4255 W. Tilghman St., said construction has cut the barbershop’s electricity for hours at a time, caused accidents and taken up parking due to the contractors’ vehicles.
“A lot of times, we have to close early because we don’t have customers for a number of hours,” he said.
Assante Italian Market, which opened last November, has seen business drop by over 50% on some days.
Co-owner Nic Assante said the market used to have a roadway sign for visibility, but it was taken down due to construction and not replaced for months. It’ll hopefully return soon when foundation work begins on Monday to replace it, he added.
Solutions like online ordering for sandwiches have helped, Assante said, but “there hasn’t really been much that we can do to kind of mitigate this because we are one of those stores that requires foot traffic. So without foot traffic, we really do take a big hit.”
Cristina Williams, owner of Perfectly Frank Hotdog Shoppe at 4235 W. Tilghman St., said construction has caused her business to decrease as much as 50% to 60% within the last few months, and cited issues such as the traffic restrictions that kept away customers and the restaurant’s temporary closures due to water and gas losses.
“I know these people have a job to do and I’m not dogging that, but on the same token, I don’t think it’s fair to come into an area and pretty much annihilate businesses that have been here in the upwards of 15-plus years,” Williams said.
Williams said she had to contact state Rep. Mike Schlossberg’s office before finally getting signage earlier this month to guide drivers to the businesses.
“It just has an arrow, it’s such a simplistic thing, but it just shows people that there’s actually an entrance here,” Williams said. “Before, there was nothing and people would drive right by. I drove by, you know what I mean? It was one morning, I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I’ve been here 16 years. I just drove by the entrance.’ “
Schlossberg called the interchange project “a critical need” due to how frequently accidents occurred there, but acknowledged the impact on businesses and said the government should do what it can to help.
“It’s incumbent upon PennDOT to be as responsive as possible,” he said. “In my experiences, they always genuinely try to do their best. Nothing’s ever going to be 100%, but I’ve always seen them really try to go above and beyond to help businesses that are impacted. You try to do that with signage and communication. I think communication is the most important thing, letting businesses know what construction will be done [and] when it will be done so the businesses can appropriately plan their own activities and try to adjust around it.”
PennDOT spokesperson Ron Young said that by Thanksgiving, the current phase will be complete and Tilghman Street will be widened to two lanes for each direction of traffic between Route 309 and Parkway Road.
Construction will continue for the ramps and there may be temporary Tilghman Street restrictions in the future, “but it’ll be much improved,” he added, and access to nearby businesses won’t be restricted like it is now.
“It is always difficult for projects to safely get work done along business corridors, and the contractor is doing their best to provide proper access to all properties,” he said. “Unfortunately, there are no relief funding mechanisms for businesses impacted by state road/bridge construction projects.”
Young encouraged residents to use the website 511pa.com to see traffic restrictions.
The full interchange project is expected to finish in 2030. According to PennDOT, Route 309 and Tilghman Street have an average daily traffic count in the area of 57,372 and 20,101 vehicles, respectively.
South Whitehall Township Manager Thomas Petrucci recommended that affected businesses continue to reach out to the township and PennDOT for concerns, even if options are limited.
“Our role is to bring up these concerns and to work with PennDOT to the best that we can, and with the understanding that the final decisions are under the purview of both the contractor and PennDOT,” he said.
In an online post, Township Commissioner Monica Hodges called on residents to support the impacted businesses along Tilghman Street.
“Navigating the ongoing PennDOT construction at the Tilghman Street Interchange has been a challenge for everyone — drivers, residents, and especially our local small businesses,” she said. “Despite the disruptions, our local businesses remain open and need your support now more than ever. Wild Birds Unlimited, Assante Italian Market and Perfectly Frank [Hotdog] Shoppe are just a few of those small businesses directly impacted by the construction. Shop local, dine local, and stay safe. Your support makes a difference!”
