BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The city Streets Maintenance Bureau recently released its 2025 paving schedule that, pending any unexpected changes, calls for renewing 29 areas across the northeast, west and south sides of town.
Paving Elizabeth Avenue from Chelsea Street to Linden Street, Seventh Avenue from Prospect Avenue to Lehigh Street, or Broadhead Avenue from West Third Street to Broadway — city workers are scheduled for the work through October.
Here’s a complete list of the streets in line for the work.
New roads ideally last a couple decades
Public Works Director Michael Alkhal, in a video posted on the City of Bethlehem Facebook page, said his team takes time every two years to rate the city’s streets from A to D (A being in worst shape).
New pavement lasts about 17 to 20 years, he said.
The city is in much better financial shape than in years past, Alkhal said, so more funding can be set aside for the work. Street overlay operations account for more than $4 million of the 2025 municipal budget.
“Over the last 10 years ... I think we increased our output from roughly 30 lane miles to 50 lane miles ... improving our paving operation, increasing our efficiencies and, of course, allocating more funding in order to be able to do more roads."Bethlehem Public Works Director Michael Alkhal
“Over the last 10 years, for example, I think we increased our output from roughly 30 lane miles to 50 lane miles through improving our paving operation, increasing our efficiencies and, of course, allocating more funding in order to be able to do more roads,” Alkhal said.
Alkhal attributed some major road impacts to utilities and utility maintenance, but the city works alongside UGI and uses in-house materials to make repairs when possible, he said.
“Whatever roads they’re impacting, we basically agree to have them fund us doing the paving in-house to offset the impact to those roads,” Alkhal said.
The Streets Maintenance Bureau is made up of 26 rank-and-file workers and a couple of supervisors.
Paving crews are made up of 12 to 14 people, some hauling material to the site and others operating the roller, paver and raking.
