Lehigh Valley road conditions are continuing to deteriorate Friday night, prompting the area’s transit agency to suspend bus service.
LANTA, in a news release, said it would stop picking up passengers on its bus routes as of 8 p.m., though buses would continue dropping off passengers until reaching the next major transit center, or the end of the route. LANTA’s van service will do its last pickups at 8 p.m. as well.
With snow, sleet and even some freezing rain expected to continue through the night, LANTA’s bus and van services will also have a delayed start of 5 a.m. Saturday.
Slick roads are leading to several crashes around the region Friday evening.
One crash was reported with people trapped inside a vehicle on Route 22 westbound near the Route 309 interchange in South Whitehall Township just after 6 p.m., according to emergency radio dispatches. Another vehicle was reported to have gone off the road on Route 22 westbound through “Cemetery Curve” in Easton.
Earlier, a two-vehicle crash was reported on Nazareth Pike (Route 191) at the Route 22 interchange in Bethlehem Township, according to the Northampton County Emergency Alerts Facebook page.
Ahead of the storm, PennDOT issued Tier 3 vehicle restrictions on the following roads:
Interstate 78
Route 22 between I-78 and Route 33
Route 33, entire length
I-81, north of I-83.
Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76, I-276 and I-476)
Under Tier 3 restrictions, all commercial vehicles are prohibited except loaded single trailers with chains or approved traction devices. School buses, commercial buses, motor coaches, motorcycles, RVs and vehicles towing trailers are also prohibited.
PennDOT said additional restrictions, including reduced speed limits, are possible during the storm.