The D&L Blog

by Liz Rosencranz, Trail & Stewardship Manager

The 14 mile Lehigh Valley Gap that spans both the east and the west sides of the Lehigh River saw significant progression during 2021! 

Construction continues for the Northampton and North Catasauqua Trail Section and is anticipated to open in spring 2022 after delays due to Topical Storm Ida and resource availability related to COVID-19. Check out our past posts about the groundbreaking back in June 2021 here.  

To the south, construction is anticipated to begin for the Catasauqua to Hanover Trail Section also in spring 2022. This trail section is led by Lehigh County- check out our landowner spotlight on the County from earlier in the year. 

On the west side of the Lehigh River- a $21M RAISE Grant was awarded to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission to support a total project cost of $55.6M for the development of 3.5 miles of complete street, which will include the D&L Trail, from Union Street to Race Street. This is an amazing accomplishment for the region and while it does not close the 14 mile Lehigh Valley Gap, it is a huge step forward towards realizing our goal of a connected loop trail on both sides of the River.  To learn more about what was included in the RAISE Grant visit www.raiseriversidedrive.com.