One way or the other, traffic patterns around the Bradford
Regional Medical Center expansion project will be changing
soon.

At Tuesday’s meeting of Bradford City Council, council members
approved “experimental traffic regulations” for portions of the
third and fourth wards.

“We are not changing all the streets immediately,” Councilman
Dan Costello said as he introduced the measure.

Changes that go into effect on Monday are as follows: parking
will be prohibited on both sides of North Bennett Street between
School and Summer streets, and on both sides of Abbott Road between
Interstate Parkway and Burke Street.

The major changes will not take place until later in the month
when BRMC closes Pleasant Street from Interstate Parkway to North
Bennett Street.

Those experimental changes are as follows: School Street, from
Interstate Parkway to Jackson Avenue, will be a two-way street;
Pleasant Street, from Jackson Avenue to North Bennett Street, will
be a one-way, westbound street – the opposite direction from its
current traffic flow; State Street, from Pearl to North Bennett
streets, will be a one-way street with traffic flowing west; and
parking will be prohibited on the south side of School Street
between North Center Street and 65 School St. Monday through Friday
from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The experimental traffic flow will be in effect for a period of
90 days.

“We would like to give our residents a ‘heads-up’ in that area,”
Mayor Michele Corignani said, adding that they should be alert for
the upcoming changes.

She explained that Gary Alcock, the director of the city’s
Department of Public Works, and his crews have already been in the
neighborhood installing signs. The signs will be covered with
plastic until the new traffic patterns are in place, Corignani
said.

“I think the signage is pretty adequate,” she said.

City Clerk John Peterson said while the first of the changes
will be implemented Monday, the rest will be on hold until the city
is notified by BRMC of a closing date for Pleasant Street.

The groundbreaking for the BRMC project is slated for Sept.
30.

In related business, council members agreed on second reading to
create a medical-surgical center zoning district in the area
encompassing the BRMC expansion project. The newly created
designation combined two previous zoning designations into one.

Also clearing the way for the hospital expansion, the council
members approved conveying the vacated portion of Pleasant Street
to BRMC. The expansion will actually be built over top of where the
street currently lies.

In other business, council approved their participation in the
City of Bradford Sixth Ward Tax Incremental District, project plan
and project. The Pennsylvania Tax Increment Financing Act of 1990
provides authority for local taxing bodies to cooperate in
providing financing for redevelopment of blighted areas in their
jurisdictions which will generate new development and increase
taxes.

According to the resolution approved at the meeting, the
Bradford Redevelopment Authority has proposed such a district in
the sixth ward, “which will be formally presented to all taxing
bodies for review and approval…”

Council’s approval was contingent upon the developer providing
necessary documentation to support the need for such a district in
that area.

Prior to the end of the council meeting, solicitor Mark
Hollenbeck explained that the council was not prepared to act on
the bids that were opened at last week’s special council meeting.
The bids, for work on the interior of Old City Hall, will be acted
on at the next meeting, which is scheduled for Sept. 27, he
explained.