ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A group of Allentown residents voiced support — with some minor changes — for a $57.6 million project to build several miles of roads and trails near the Lehigh River.
Plans for the Riverside Drive Multimodal Revitalization Corridor project show a three-phase approach to redeveloping the road from Hamilton Street in Allentown to Race Street in Whitehall.
- The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission is seeking residents' feedback on its Riverside Drive revitalization project
- The project calls for several miles of new roads and trails between Allentown and Whitehall
- Construction could start next summer, and the project would likely take about five years
Lehigh Valley planning officials say the project would make it easier to travel around the region and ease traffic congestion by offering buses an alternative to Routes 22 and 145.
Lehigh Valley transport engineer Patrick Osei said the project would include a new north-south route for Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority buses between Allentown and Whitehall Township.
The Riverside Drive revitalization project also could create opportunities for housing, retail and recreational development, officials have said.
Construction could start next summer, and the project would likely take about five years to finish, Osei said.
Fences needed near Allentown park
The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission is hosting a series of public meetings this month about the project. About a dozen people gathered Thursday at Allentown’s Bucky Boyle Park along Riverside Drive, where the revitalization project is proposed.
"The reckless driving is just off the Richter scale."Allentown resident David Keshl
April Riddick urged planners to put up a fence to separate the park from the project. A lot of “very young kids” walk to the park, Riddick said, suggesting officials also look into putting stop signs, speed bumps or rumble strips along Riverside Drive.
Riverside Drive “is a speedway at night,” Riddick told planning officials. “And in the morning.”
Jim Spang, president of the Riverfront Civic Association, said fences would not only keep kids safe, but they would also make sure balls “don’t come flying out” into the roadway.
Speaking after the meeting, David Keshl also called for some type of barrier to protect people at the park.
“The reckless driving is just off the Richter scale,” he said.
Truck traffic?
Several residents said trucks should not be allowed to use Riverside Drive after the project is complete.
But Spang said a restriction on truck traffic could create a “huge jam-up” along other roads in nearby Allentown neighborhoods. He also suggested planners extend the project several blocks farther north into Whitehall to ease truck traffic there.
Restricting trucks from using the road would require additional studies and approvals, but Lehigh Valley officials are willing to go through those processes, Osei said.
Riverside Drive “is a speedway at night. ... And in the morning.”Allentown resident April Reddick
Speed limits would be set at 25 mph along Riverside Drive, he said.
Roads in the Riverside Drive project will be maintained by Allentown and Whitehall, but Lehigh County will maintain trails associated with the project, according to planners.
Missing link
The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission has said its plans for Riverside Drive would help to create a “seamless, 165-mile Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Trail Network.”
But the plans presented Thursday show there would still be a slight gap between the Riverside Drive project’s northern end and the D&L trail in Whitehall.
Anyone using the Riverside Drive trails would have to travel across the Race Street bridge and then cross the road to get onto the D&L trail, according to the project’s maps.
A representative from the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor raised those concerns to Lehigh Valley planners and asked them to make trails at least 14 feet wide to make them more “conducive” for multiple uses in busy areas.
The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission will accept comments about the Riverside Project at 9 a.m. Wednesday during a Lehigh Valley Transportation Study committee meeting, accessible virtually.
Residents can also weigh in on the project by emailing planning@lvpc.org.
