On Monday, a crowd of government officials and D&L Trail devotees braved grey skies and drizzle to dedicate a 2.7-mile section of trail between Cementon and Laurys Station in Lehigh County. The new section runs along a former Lehigh Valley Railroad bed and offers constant views of the Lehigh River. Although this was the formal dedication and there had been no previous publicity, the trail has seen heavy use from locals eager to get out on their bikes or walk their dogs. On weekends, the trailheads are filled to capacity-the kind of problem of which most trail developers only dream.

The well-attended ceremony included brief speeches by DCNR Secretary John Quigley, Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham, and others, who spoke about the importance of regional, multi-purpose trails. “It takes a village to build a trail,” Cunningham noted, reflecting on the numerous partnerships that made the project possible. Secretary Quigley reminded everyone that, with budget cuts on the horizon and trail development funds in the crosshairs, those partnerships will become more important than ever. Fortunately, the D&L has a great partner in Lehigh County government and its staff, and we look forward to completing the county’s section of the trail in the near future.

If you haven’t been on this new section yet, be sure to check it out. Also, don’t forget that one June 5 the D&L will celebrate National Trails Day by dedicating another new section of trail between Jim Thorpe and Lehigh Gorge State Park. You won’t want to miss the ceremony or the bike ride through the gorge. The D&L Trail has really come together in the last few years, and you will continue to see key projects and new sections, as we work on completing all 165 miles.

While trail usage across the Corridor goes way down during the winter months, trail design heats up.

Field work is an essential part of trail design. This involves things such as surveys and walk throughs with partners, engineers and permitting agencies. Wintertime provides the opportunity to do this without the heavy vegetation that is in some of the undeveloped areas of canal towpath and railbed. It also allows for greater sight distances, which makes for a much more cost effective survey.  We also take the opportunity to put the finishing touches on our projects, like the installation of entrance signs at the new River Road and Cementon trailheads.

We are currently taking advantage of the winter time to do survey work on a few projects – the pedestrian bridge in Jim Thorpe and design of the D&L Trail in North Whitehall Township (Lehigh County) and the Boroughs of Catasauqua and North Catasauqua (Northampton County).

The winter also allows a glimpse of what impact future trail projects will have. The photo below shows a section of trail in North Catasauqua that is impassable in the warmer months. You can clearly see how reestablishment of the townpath adjacent to the canal retaining wall unearths the beauty of this section of Lehigh Canal.

Another advantage of winter is the ability to see the canal ruins uncovered. I am constantly amazed at the engineering that went into the canal back in the 1820s when it was being built. One example is the guard lock in North Catasauqua. Designed to prevent canal damage during high water in the Lehigh River, they are a testament to the talent of craftsman of the time. While the timber work has not weathered well, the stonework is largely intact, as you can see in the photo below.

Finally, working on the D&L Trail constantly reminds me that nature will over time reclaim what was hers to begin with. The photos below show the guard lock area during operation of the canal. As you can see, there are no trees in sight. Trees would have compromised canal and lock wall integrity and impacted the travel of a canal boat, mule and the rope connecting the two. Left to nature the past seventy plus years, the area returns to its previous forested state.

Check back for more updates.  Spring (and great trail weather) will be here before you know it.

The following is part two of a two-part report from D&L Trail Steward Scott Everett. In part one, Scott provided an update on trail building in Luzerne and Carbon counties.  In this part, he describes activity in Lehigh, Northampton, and Bucks counties.

Lehigh County 

In Lehigh County, trail is literally being built as I write. The section of D&L Trail from Route 329 in Cementon to River Road in Laurys Station is currently under construction.
The scope of work consists of surfacing 2.3 miles of trail and installation of two trailheads – one at Railroad Street in Cementon and one at River Road in Laurys Station. Construction should be completed by the end of November.

One of the things that continue to impress me is how communities have embraced the D&L Trail and have initiated projects on their own. The Community Center at the Slatington Trailhead is one such project. I was privileged to be invited to the planning meetings gathering many service groups in the greater Northern Lehigh area. With a long-term lease of the property secured from Lehigh County, work on the building began a few months ago. A testament to the once-thriving local state industry, the building is being constructed out of slate block.

When complete, the building will consist of a kitchen, restrooms and pavilion. It is conveniently situated between the D&L and Slate Heritage trails. This same group of service organizations and community leaders has been responsible for the construction of the restrooms and covered bridge on the Slate Heritage Trail. They are a wonderful group of people that are leaving a legacy along the trails.

Another exciting project being undertaken by one of our partners is the expansion of the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. The addition will include amenities for trail users, along with expansion of their excellent educational programs.

Elsewhere in Lehigh County, some challenges remain. We have started with the design of the section of trail in Catasauqua. When complete, the project will create a trailhead at the Deily Coal Yard, clean out the invasive plants that pervade the canal and its banks, and surface the towpath. Despite this progress, upcoming bridge projects and land issues will slow development of the remainder of the D&L Trail in Lehigh County.

Northampton County

In Northampton County, we continue working to resolve the land issues in Freemansburg so that we can resurface the towpath. This project is being coupled with the section of trail from Riverview Park in Forks Township to Hugh Moore Park.

Elsewhere in Northampton County, we are pleased to report that sections of the towpath along the Delaware Canal are now open starting at the Forks in Easton. Please refer to Delaware Canal State Park’s website of the for the latest information on trail status of the sixty-mile section of trail within the Delaware Canal State Park. Finally, a very nice gateway project has recently being completed in Walnutport.

Bucks County

Repaired sections of trail are also being opened within the Bucks County section of the D&L Trail that passes through Delaware Canal State Park. The goal is to have all flood damaged sections finished by the middle of 2010.

The Route 13 crossing of the trail is still being discussed. There are no easy solutions and funding is still an issue. The tunnel under the active rail line is moving forward, and it appears that it can be constructed with the funding in place.

Finally, across the entire Corridor, we continue to add signage and replace weathered interpretive panels. This is an ongoing project, but we are making slow but steady progress.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can always contact Scott Everett at 610-923-0537 (x232) or Scott@DelawareandLehigh.org.