D&L Trail Construction Update By H. Scott Everett, D&L Trail ...

D&L Trail Construction Update
By H. Scott Everett, D&L Trail Manager
scott@delawareandlehigh.org
The year 2012 saw significant growth in the recreational use of the D&L Trail. This is a
testament to the increased exposure the trail has seen through the Marathon, trail events,
project dedications, increased publicity and quite simply, word of mouth.
The past year showcased the importance of our trail partnerships and the value our local
partners see in playing an active role in making the 165 miles of the D&L Trail a reality. Recent
trail funding, specifically from the Commonwealth, has dictated that the applicant must be a
municipality, not a non-profit like the D&L. My role in several recently funded projects has
been to write the grant application on behalf of the partner municipality and after the grant
award, to serve as project manager on their behalf. All indications are that this type of
arrangement will continue in the future as we seek additional funding to close the remaining
trail gaps.
The completion of a 2.5 mile section of trail from the Lehighton Trailhead to East Penn
Township, a perfect example of our partnerships, was due to the efforts of the Borough of
Lehighton. They leveraged the need for construction access to the PA Turnpike bridge project
into the contractor completing this section of trail. This “outside of the box” thinking may well
be the key to completing both the remaining sections of trail as well as future upgrades and
ongoing maintenance.
Work is well underway on the 9.7 miles of the Black Diamond section of the D&L Trail along
with the new Black Diamond Trailhead above White Haven in Luzerne County. This project,
scheduled to be completed in late spring, is the D&L’s largest trail project to date. It is the first
section of D&L Trail not adjacent to the Lehigh or Delaware rivers. Built on the old Lehigh
Valley Railroad bed, it is a trip through Luzerne County hardwood forests, complete with
wildlife, lakes, ponds and overlooks to the Wyoming Valley.
Without a doubt, 2013 will be the year of trail project dedications. The following is a rundown
of projects that should ne completed in 2013.

LUZERNE COUNTY
D&L Trail – Black Diamond Section and Black Diamond Trailhead – completed and dedicated in
the spring.
Installation of Trail Base – Black Diamond Section of D&L Trail (10/2012)
Completed Trail at Mile 135 – Black Diamond Section of D&L Trail (11/2012)

Rough In of Black Diamond Trailhead of D&L Trail (11/2012)
D&L Trail - White Haven North Trailhead (LGSP) – with our partners at the State Park, the
initial phase of the long awaiting north trailhead installed in the spring.
Future Site of White Haven North Trailhead – Lehigh Gorge State Park

D&L Trail – Middleburg Road Pedestrian Crossing – this project involves tying the Black
Diamond section of the trail to Lehigh Gorge State Park by providing a PennDOT approved
pedestrian crossing of Middleburg Road. I hope to have that completed by the fall.
CARBON COUNTY
D&L Trail – Lehighton Trailhead – our partners at the Borough of Lehighton are currently
installing the Trailhead, which when complete will include full ADA access, signage and a small
pavilion. Work will be completed in the spring.

LEHIGH COUNTY
D&L Trail – Slatington Trailhead pedestrian crossing – our partners at the Borough of
Slatington are putting the final touches on the pedestrian crossing of Main Street, our first
PennDOT approved D&L Trail crossing.
D&L Trail - Cementon Trailhead Expansion Project – Whitehall Township is currently expanding
the parking lot to help alleviate the parking issues the growth of trail usage has created.

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY
D&L Trail – Freemansburg Towpath – this project is scheduled to go out for bid through
PennDOT in early 2013 and should be completed by the fall. The project will install the trail on
the towpath on the 1.5 mile Freemansburg section.
D&L Trail – Freemansburg Pedestrian Bridge – bridge to be redecked and upgraded to be ADA
accessible.

D&L Trail – Palmer to Hugh Moore Connector Project - working with our partners at the City
of Easton, Wilson Borough and Palmer Township, this project will connect the aligned Palmer /
D&L Trail with Hugh Moore Park and points southward. The project will be completed in late
spring or early summer.
As you can see, a lot is scheduled to be completed in 2013. In addition, several projects are
currently in design or have been recently funded. They are as follows:
CARBON COUNTY
D&L Trail – Carbon County Pedestrian Bridge – the hope is that this project, literally the
connection tying the 165 miles together, will be able to go out for bid mid-2013. While a few
issues remain, I am confident they can be worked out and the bridge be installed in 2014.
D&L Trail – Carbon County Connectivity Project – this recently approved project, with Carbon
County as the applicant, will connect the remaining gaps in Carbon County. The scope includes
“share the road” connectivity from the Lehigh Canal Trailhead at Weissport to Lehighton, an
ADA connection from Lehighton to the D&L Trail, connection and crossing of Route 895 in East
Penn Township down to the East Penn Boat Launch / D&L Trailhead. Design work will be going
out for bid in January with construction hopefully getting under way later in the year.
NORTHAMPTON COUNTY
D&L Trail – Northampton to North Catasauqua Trailhead – this section of the trail still has land
issues. Section has been surveyed and a proposed trail route identified. I hope to have the

land issues resolved and the trail designed in 2013. In addition, working with our partner North
Catasauqua, we hope to look at building the bridge over Dry Run using alternative funding.
LEHIGH COUNTY
D&L Trail – North Catasauqua to Catasauqua – this section of the trail has been surveyed and a
route identified. The project will need to wait until the Lehigh Street bridge project is
completed. Also working with North Catasauqua, we would like to repair the broken pipe
causing a trail gap prior the start of the trail project.
D&L Trail – Catasauqua to Allentown – this section of the trail has also been surveyed and a
path identified. Design of trail needs to be finished. Project construction may be impacted by
the construction of Allentown’s American Parkway Bridge project. The City of Allentown
recently completed a section of D&L Trail from Canal Park to south of the Kimmett’s Lock
Trailhead.
BUCKS COUNTY
Route 13 Tunnel Project – design is complete and project is awaiting the award of contract.
Work should begin sometime in the first half of next year.
CSX Tunnel Project- this project is delayed basically for two reasons – funding along with new
wrinkles about land ownership.
Finally, several initiatives related to the trail are currently underway. They are as follows:
LUZERNE COUNTY
D&L Trail – Glen Summit Bypass – when the Master Site Plan for this section of trail was
completed in 2005, it suggested several alternative routes to get around Glen Summit. The PA
Bureau of Forestry is very interested in working with the D&L and its partners to look at these
alternative routes on state owned property. We are planning a site visit sometime this winter.
If we move forward, trail would initially be unimproved, suitable mainly for hikers and
mountain bikers.
D&L Trail – Mountaintop Trailhead and Mountaintop to Oliver Mills Trailhead – this section of
trail is currently open to the public but unimproved. The railroad ballast makes this section
unappealing for all but the most hearty trail users. The partners would like to start working on
this section of trail by fixing flood damage, cleaning out culverts and choking in the rail ballast.
The D&L will work with them to seek permitting and funding to improve this section of trail
while seeking funding to surface the entire length.

CARBON COUNTY
Carbon County Pedestrian Bridge to Railroad Trestle – due to the expense of the pedestrian
bridge, there are currently no funds to connect the exit of the bridge to the towpath. We plan
on working with our partners in the area to see what can be done to improve this section of
trail in the interim until funding is obtained.
LEHIGH COUNTY
D&L to Ironton Rail Trail Connection – with several bridge projects pending over the Lehigh
River (and in turn over the towpath from Northampton to Allentown) a viable alternative to
bypass at least part of the construction would be to obtain the rights to connect these two
trails. Our partner, Lehigh County, has taken the lead in the negotiations with Norfolk
Southern. We will support both them and the effort to construct the trail.
CORRIDOR WIDE
Signage Initiative – It is a goal in 2013 to complete several phases of the signage – install the
remaining mile markers where appropriate, install the remaining inventory of entrance and
interpretive signage and work with PennDOT and local municipalities to install directional
signage to trailheads and trail entrances. This work is well underway.
Pedestrian Crossings – one of the results of completing trail projects is that we now have
situations where trail has now been completed on both sides of a road or street. Several
crossing projects are underway and will be completed in 2013. The goal is to continue this
momentum and seek funding or divert existing funding to upgrade additional crossings.