The Riverside Drive Project won a $21,158,854 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, announced by Senator Bob Casey. The federal award funds a new three-lane roadway running from Allentown into Whitehall Township.
The project began in 2015. The Waterfront Development Company acquired three and a half miles of railroad from Union Street in Allentown to Race Street in Whitehall Township, then worked with a team of engineers to design a roadway and pedestrian path that eases traffic along the Front Street corridor, improves pedestrian safety, connects the city’s economic centers, and unites the River Wards district.
“Riverside Drive will serve as the backbone of Allentown’s emerging district: the roadway will connect Hamilton Street to the active and proposed projects along the Lehigh River and ultimately unite the City of Allentown with Whitehall Township. We are proud to have worked as part of a strong public-private partnership to secure this grant and introduce a real asset in the heart of the Lehigh Valley,” said Zachary J. Jaindl.
The work is phased. Phase 01 runs from Hamilton Street to Furnace Street in Allentown; it began in May 2021 and is substantially complete. Phase 02 extends from Furnace Street north into Whitehall Township, and the RAISE Grant clears the way for it to begin.
The award came through partnership. A regional public-private partnership led by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission secured the grant, and The Waterfront Development Company contributed roughly $20 million in match through the dedication of the rail land and its investment in The Waterfront. Lehigh County, the City of Allentown, Whitehall Township, LANta, the Delaware and Lehigh (D&L) Trail, and Wildlands joined dozens of other partners.
The road connects to a network. The adjacent walking and biking path connects to the 165-mile Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, the Jordan Creek Greenway Trail, the Northern Lehigh Rail Trail, the Lehigh River Water Trail, the Slate Heritage Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the 9/11 Memorial Trail.
“When we designed Phase 01 of Riverside Drive, we did so to ease traffic concerns throughout the emerging district and its neighborhoods. With the integration of the urban trails, we can provide a valuable recreational resource to the City of Allentown and the Lehigh Valley. Health-driven assets like the D&L Trail and the 9/11 Memorial Trail are foundations of modern community life. Working with the public-private partnership, we can carry these design elements further and improve a range of Lehigh Valley communities,” said Mark W. Jaindl.
Riverside Drive is the spine of The Waterfront, the 29-acre district rising on the Lehigh River where a steel mill once stood. See the offices and the River Walk. Schedule a visit.