November 22, 2022 – The City of Allentown officially turned on the traffic lights at Riverside Drive this morning. These lights are at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Hamilton Street and Riverside Drive and Linden Street, where the current speed limit is 25MPH. Riverside Drive was first announced in 2015 by The Waterfront Development Company, after its acquisition of 3.5-miles of a former railroad stretching from Union Street in the City of Allentown, north to Race Street in Whitehall Township. The three-lane roadway was constructed with an adjacent walking and biking pathway, that will help to unite the northern and southern legs of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail). Riverside Drive will help to ease traffic congestion along the adjacent Front Street Corridor and increase pedestrian safety in local neighborhoods while increasing access to Route 22 and Whitehall Township. The roadway was constructed in two phases: Phase 01 – District Connector: Roadway from Union Street to Furnace Street in the City of Allentown. This Connector unites several key areas for economic development, including America On Wheels, Bucky Boyle Park, Neuweiller Brewery, and The Waterfront campus. This Phase was funded by a mix of private funds from The Waterfront Development Company, a Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant, a PennDOT Multimodal Transportation Fund Grant, and a DCED Multimodal Transportation Fund Grant. The total project cost was approximately $10 million. Phase 02: Region Connector: The second phase of construction built Riverside Drive and the adjacent walking path from Furnace Street north, thereby increasing access to Route 22 and extending Allentown’s already substantial trail network. In November 2021, The Waterfront Development Company, Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, the City of Allentown, Lehigh County, and a range of other stakeholders successfully applied for and received a coveted federal RAISE Grant. The $21 million grant will allow for the construction of the new roadway north into Whitehall Township. Earlier this year, the City in partnership with The Waterfront Development Company, opened the section of Riverside Drive from Furnace Street to Linden Street. Today marks the completion of the second phase of Riverside Drive (from Linden Street to Hamilton Street) with the following the installation and inspection of the traffic lights. Drivers who encounter issues navigating through the City’s traffic light system can contact the Traffic Engineering Office at 610-437-7596.
Source: City of Allentown