Motorists who travel Route 65 can add one more traffic headache to their lists. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is expected to begin work on the South Birmingham Avenue Bridge this summer.

Avalon borough manager harry Dilmore said that work is expected to begin June 11. The highway will be reduced to one 10-feet lane in each direction, he said.

Emsworth Council voted Wednes-day to declare an official “emergency” with regard to the Herron Avenue Bridge, which was closed recently after an inspection showed structural deficiencies that made it unsafe for vehicles to cross.

Council member Paul Getz said that an emergency declaration could help expedite the process of getting a temporary bridge in place. Officials have been meeting with representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) not only to get the temporary span built, but to move the completion date of the new, two-lane bridge from 2012 to 2011.

After receiving a letter from a resident about the noise created by truckers using jake brakes, Emsworth Council has agreed to have the state conduct a traffic study to see if outlawing the use of the engine-assisted brakes on Ohio River Boulevard is possible.

Council member Paul Getz reported at Wednesday's meeting that other communities along Route 65 have prohibited the use of the brakes, but that the first step had to be a study by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

Council authorized the study in a 6-1 vote with Ken Kroen opposed.

At the request of borough residents, Emsworth Council has agreed to ask the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to do a traffic study to determine if left turns from Locust Street onto Ohio River Boulevard are feasible.

Council member Paul Getz reported at Wednesday's council meeting that residents of several streets in the vicinity of the borough hall are effectively "trapped" due to one-way streets and other restrictions that keep them from reaching the southbound lanes of Route 65 with any ease.

Elizabeth Avenue in Avalon is expected to open temporarily to traffic this weekend, and then permanently by the middle of next week. Weather permitting, the contractor planned to lay the binder course on Friday, and then pave the street early next week. Elizabeth Avenue had to be reconstructed from the Jackman Avenue intersection to Ohio River Boulevard. The street was undermined by thousands of gallons of water that gushed from a water pipe that was crushed when a tractor-trailer driver attempted to turn the corner onto Jackman and got hung up on a fire hydrant.

Northgate H1N1 vaccinations The Northgate School District has announced dates for H1N1 vaccinations for students in grades 5-12.

Superintendent Dr. Reggie Bonfield said, at the school board's regular meeting on Monday, that students in grades 9-12 will be able to receive the vaccine on Monday, Oct. 26, and Monday, Nov. 2, from 2 to 7 p.m.

Bonfield said that students in grades 5-8, who are 10 years old or older, will be able to receive the vaccine on Wednesday, Oct. 28, and Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 2 to 7 p.m.