As many of you know, construction of the new turnpike bridge over the Lehigh River at Parryville has been ongoing for a couple of years now.  In 2008, Jim Deebil of the Lehighton Sewer Authority contacted the D&L’s trail manager, Scott Everett, to express his interest in including construction of the trail, which runs along the western bank of the river, as part of the bridge project.  The contractor had to build an access road along the former rail corridor to get equipment to the construction site, so they agreed to grade and resurface the road as a trail at the project completion. (How’s that for an innovative way to get a trail built!)

The new trail section is being completed as part of a PA Turnpike bridge construction project.

The 1.2-mile section north of the bridge project to the Lehighton treatment plant access road is now complete.  The 1.3-mile section south of the project to East Penn Township’s Marvin Gardens cul-de-sac will be completed after the old turnpike bridge is demolished later in 2012.  This will give us a 2.5-mile section of new trail that links Lehighton to East Penn Township!

For now, the entire section remains an active construction zone, and we ask that you observe all no trespassing signs and other regulations. Check back for more updates about the completion of the newest section of the D&L Trail!

Looking north toward Lehighton.

I am pleased to report that repairs are well underway on the Weissport section the D&L Trail that was damaged by the March Flooding. My thanks to the efforts of the Lehighton Water Authority in getting the trail passable.

Crews repair the trail surface in Weissport.

The repairs will occur over the next few months. The base has been repaired in the worst sections, where the water either blew out the towpath or eroded deep gouges in the path. I was able to ride my bike the entire length last week, but it is only passable using bikes with fat tires. The entire length is also suitable for walking with sturdy shoes. There remains an impassable section at the north end of the railroad trestle above Lock 4.

Please check our website for updates on the repairs.

Written by Scott Everett, D&L Trail Manager

I sit here writing this update as yet another spring shower passes and the rain has prevented work on the trail.  There is, however, some great news to report on both projects.

The resumption of both the 6.5-mile project in Lehigh County and the 2.9-mile project in Carbon County saw a significant delay the first few months of 2011.  The lengthy snow pack coupled with numerous rainstorms required us to wait until things dried out.  Since the East Penn Township, Carbon County project was not as far along as the Lehigh County project, the contractor was able to work through this weather on completing the drainage portion of the project but little else.  With the Lehigh County project awaiting the base surface, we had no choice but to wait until the weather cooperated.

Progress continues on Lehigh County's new section of trail.

I am pleased to report that the past two weeks has seen significant progress on both projects.  On Lehigh County’s D&L Trail project, the base material has now been laid for the entire 6.5 miles and the top surfacing has just begun.  The trail is still a construction zone with heavy equipment and dump trucks everywhere.  For your own safety, we ask that people observe all cautionary signage including “Road Closed” on the trail when posted.  I will keep everyone up to speed on progress as the County approaches completion of the project.

A work crew lays down the trail base on East Penn's new section of trail.

On our D&L Trail project in East Penn Township, work started yesterday in laying the base surface of limestone.  Ironically, all of the spring rain allowed us to get a much better handle on the drainage issues and enabled us to add additional swales and pipes to further ensure stability of the trail surface.  For your personal safety, I would ask that everyone also observe the “Trail Closed” signs on this project when posted.

I am looking forward to everyone being able to experience these beautiful sections of D&L Trail with the scenic Lehigh River running adjacent to most of it.  When completed, there will be a roughly 15-mile section of improved D&L Trail from the Cementon Trailhead in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County to the East Penn Boat Launch at Riverview Park in East Penn Township, Carbon County.

Please check back here for frequent updates as these projects near their completions.

Thanks,
Scott

Written By Silas Chamberlin

Somebody received a Flip camcorder for Christmas, so (for better or worse) expect more videos from here on out!

Last week, Scott and I were out on the trail to monitor construction and lay out mile markers between Slatington and Cementon.  My shaky hands and low-quality video editing don’t do justice to this section, which reminds me of the Lehigh Gorge in many ways.  People are going to love this trail.  Construction will continue through winter, so we ask that you use caution or avoid this section until it is complete.  Here’s a sneak peak of what you’ll see.

(Music by amazing Berks County band Frog Holler.)

Written By Scott Everett

We received word just before Christmas that the D&L has been awarded very competitive Transportation Enhancement Act (TEA) funding in the amount of $488,750 for trail construction in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

An artistic rendering of the proposed North Catty trailhead

The funds will be used to build the section of the D&L Trail from the Hokendauqua Creek pedestrian bridge in Northampton to the North Catasauqua trailhead. This will dovetail with the existing funding we have for the trail from North Catasauqua to Allentown—portions that are currently being designed.

This is historically significant section of the Lehigh Canal and Lehigh River. The canal traveled south from Northampton, bringing boats to a slack part of the river. The iron industry thrived for a time on both sides of the river with the Crane Iron Works in Catty and the Thomas Iron Works in Hokey. In addition, several railroad spurs were located in the area.

An unimproved stretch of the North Catty trail section

The main focus of this project will be to handle infrastructure issues, stabilize the trail, and hopefully surface the entire length.

Stay tuned for more details.