Pennsylvania awards over $4 million for 5 pedestrian, bicycle and safe routes schools projects in the Lehigh Valley
(Easton, June) The Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TASA) program, funded through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides grants for pedestrian, bicycle, and safe routes to school projects. Over $4 million dollars in grants have been announced for projects in the Lehigh Valley.
This critical funding will support infrastructure projects that strengthen communities, improve public safety, and expand transportation access throughout the region. THE LINK Trail Network will benefit from these investments, as individual trails, including the D&L Trail, Jordan Creek Greenway, and Palmer Bikeway and Two Rivers Trailway, see significant improvements and advancement.
Key investments in Lehigh and Northampton counties include:
LEHIGH
- City of Allentown — $823,698 to construct 1.1 miles of shared use path/bicycle and pedestrian facilities from the Allentown City Line to the current ending point of the D&L Trail on North Bradford Street.
- Hanover Township — $902,575 to construct 1 mile of shared use path along the former D&L canal towpath starting at the north end of Hanover’s Canal Park and extending to the Allentown City Line just south of Saint Luke’s Way.
- South Whitehall Township — $1,500,000 to construct Segments 35 through 40 of the Jordan Creek Greenway Trail to extend the regional trail system in Lehigh County and connect the Township’s Covered Bridge Park to Parkland High School. A 1-mile, 10′ wide paved trail will be constructed from the parking lot at Lapp Road to the intersection of Cedar Crest Boulevard and the entrance road into Parkland High School. Project will include a marked crosswalk at Ritter Road.
NORTHAMPTON
- City of Easton — $765,000 to acquire 5 parcels of unused rail, allowing for the construction of a 1.5-mile trail (tentatively called “The Highline”)
- $399,754 to create a safe route to school and improved trail crossing along State Route 2020 at the Palmer Bikeway/Two Rivers Trailway. Adjacent to the Easton Area High School, this project will install a new protected mid-block crossing, safety signage, school zone designations, and road diet lane markings to improve safety for all road users.
The federal Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TASA) provides funding for projects and activities defined as transportation alternatives, including on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility, community improvement activities, environmental mitigation, trails that serve a transportation purpose, and safe routes to school projects.
For the full list of awards, visit: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/penndot/research-planning-and-innovation/transportation-alternatives-set-aside-program