What's Holding up Main St. Bridge Construction??

The next time you have to take the detour onto Main Street in Coopersburg, make sure you thank Glyptemys muhlenbergii. Strip away the Latin name, and you'll find...a bog turtle.

Yes, that's right folks. A teeny, tiny turtle is going to keep you swerving down Passer Road for a while longer.

The bog turtle was first identified by Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg (and grandfather of Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, first president of Muhlenberg College) sometime in the 18th century. The turtle joined the endangered species list in 1997 due to the disruption of its natural habitat as well as its low reproduction rate. 

Federal law prohibits any disruption of the bog turtle's natural habitat during mating season, which falls between March and October. A recent television report  stated that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asserted that the state Department of Transportation and the contractor hired for the project didn't comply with regulations before starting it.

The report also says that PennDOT did a study of the area and found no sign of bog turtles before beginning construction.

The bridge is slated to open in August. The Corps of Engineers has asked that further studies be done before construction resumes.