By Danielle Nelson

*This article is posted on The Express Times website.

Rocks and debris slid down a hillside and blocked the southbound lane of Route 611 on May 16, 2014. The slide happened near the former community beach area, closing the road while PennDOT crews removed the debris.
Bill Adams | The Express-TimesResidents on College Hill in Easton have long since struggled with two-hour parking.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Now it will get 10 times worse as residents along a few blocks of Cattell and West Lafayette streets will have no on-street parking temporarily.

The parking ban took effect today at the streets’ intersection so trucks and other large vehicles can reach Route 611 due to a road closure on Route 611 between Riverside Drive and Park Street. The work begins next week and will last two to three weeks, city Public Services Director David Hopkins said.

The city today began test drilling to see if water, gas and sewer lines were affected by recent downpours. Business owner, Monica Wolinski, of The Shop on Cattell Street, said she couldn’t help but notice all the trucks and traffic passing by her barber shop.

“I thought it was an accident,” Wolinski said.

Wolinski, as she struggled to hear her customers during conversations, said she can only imagine what traffic will be like.

Although Wolinski said her customers will not have difficulties finding parking during the detour, Mario Famularo, the owner of Giacomo’s on Cattell Street, fears the parking ban will hurt business.

“I know before where it is a busy weekend and people can’t find parking, they just drive by and leave,” Famularo said.

Chris Phillips said it’s already tough enough to get Downtown because of construction on and around the Easton-Phillipsburg (Route 22) Toll Bridge.

“The closure makes it harder to get to area parks and rivers,” Phillips said.

During the school year, Tish McGuire said it has been a challenge finding parking and was relieved now that college students are back home but not anymore.

“I can only imagine how challenging that will be since we don’t have off-street parking,” she said today.

© Herculean Stars, Inc. All rights reserved.