Bethlehem Sets Late This Year, Early 2027 for $2 Million Conversion of Linden Street Back to Two-Way Traffic; No Date Set for Center Street

Sept. 7, 2026

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

Two of Bethlehem’s main streets have one-way stretches dating back to the days of Bethlehem Steel.

The city plans to restore two-way traffic to Linden Street, perhaps starting later this year. That will cost about $2 million. There is no specific target date for Center Street.

The idea behind making the streets one-way was to relieve traffic heading to and from the steel company, with Center one-way north and Linden one-way south from Elizabeth Avenue to downtown.

“The Steel” as natives called it is long gone. Bethlehem Steel last poured hot metal in its namesake city in 1995.

Linden Street will go first. Here’s a note from the city’s capital plan:

“The Linden Street conversion work is estimated to cost approximately $2M. Preliminary engineering and permitting started in the first quarter of 2025, final design was completed in 2026, bidding and procurement will occur in the fall of 2026, and construction will take place in late 2026 or the spring of 2027,” according to details posted with the agenda of the Bethlehem Planning Commission.

Restoring two-way traffic may help reduce speeding on Linden Street, and two-way streets are deemed to be more business-friendly. The transition requires more than just new stripes on asphalt, it also means changing times for traffic lights and adding signs.

The timing for Center Street depends on when money comes in.

“The project is currently on the long-range plan, the City will be looking for opportunities to move up the project, has applied for grants, and will continue to apply for additional grants until the project can be fully funded,” according to the 2027-2031 Capital Plan.

Capital plans extend over five years and are updated regularly. Items in the plans are not always completed on time.

Here is a link to Bethlehem’s Non-Utility Capital Improvement Plan, as posted on the city website.

The Planning Commission will discuss the capital plan and a proposal for 82 apartments on North New Street at its meeting at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, in Town Hall.

Here are paragraphs from the plan:

Dating back to when Bethlehem Steel was in operation, Center Street was made one-way north and Linden Street one-way south between approximately Elizabeth Avenue and the Fahy Bridge (New Street). This was to facilitate traffic to and from the Steel Company during AM and PM peak hours. Since the closure of Bethlehem Steel, the roadways have been left in their one-way configurations, and the City will explore the conversion back to two-way traffic with the driving forces being improved economic conditions, improved access, and traffic calming/accident reductions. A full traffic impact analysis for Linden Street was conducted to analyze the proposed modifications and recommend timing changes to the signals and/or the installation of additional signals, etc. to support the conversion. The Linden Street conversion work is estimated to cost approximately $2M. Preliminary engineering and permitting started in the first quarter of 2025, final design was completed in 2026, bidding and procurement will occur in the fall of 2026, and construction will take place in late 2026 or the spring of 2027.

Center Street Two Way Conversion
Dating back to when Bethlehem Steel was in operation, Center Street was made one-way north and Linden Street one-way south between approximately Elizabeth Avenue and the Fahy Bridge (New Street). This was to facilitate traffic to and from the Steel Company during peak hours. Since the closure of Bethlehem Steel, the roadways have been left in their one-way configurations, and the City will explore the conversion back to two-way traffic with the driving forces being improved economic conditions, improved access, and traffic calming/accident reductions. The project is currently on the long-range plan, the City will be looking for opportunities to move up the project, has applied for grants, and will continue to apply for additional grants until the project can be fully funded.