Yesterday was a great day for the Pennsylvania Highlands Trail Network!

On July 23rd, alongside representatives from the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, the County of Northampton, and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the City of Bethlehem held a press conference to announce $3.7 million in federal funding. These funds, which came from the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TASA) and Carbon Reduction Programs (CRP), support three projects targeting sustainable transportation in the region. The first two were the Linden Street Two-Way Conversion and the Broad Street Multimodal project, which are aimed at making pedestrian and bicyclist transportation in the city of Bethlehem safer and more enjoyable.

Last but certainly not least, the third project announced was the South Bethlehem Greenway Trail Extension, which plans to connect the South Bethlehem Greenway at Saucon Park to the Saucon Rail Trail by 2026. By closing this gap in the Pennsylvania Highlands Trail Network, 13 miles of continuous, off-road, multi-use trail will be established.

The South Bethlehem Greenway to Saucon Rail Trail gap is listed as a Priority Trail Gap by the Pennsylvania DCNR. We look forward to seeing it complete!