Lehigh Valley planners approve millions for transportation projects

While it seems like there’s endless construction along the Lehigh Valley’s highways, there is a strategy to all of it as the region’s transportation system tries to keep up with a growing population and the vehicles that come with it.

On Wednesday, the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study approved its major transportation investments for 2027-30 that includes $544 million for roads, bridges, mass transit and more.

“It really will help continue to improve the safety of our roadways, to reduce congestion, to support transit objectives as well as bike and pedestrian objectives,” said Becky Bradley, LVTS secretary and Lehigh Valley Planning Commission executive director.

The Transportation Improvement Program, which still needs a sign-off from the Federal Highway and Federal Transit administrations, is scheduled to go into effect Oct. 1.

This TIP is funded with federal, state and local money with guidance from PennDOT. About 80% of the funding comes from the federal government, with the remaining from local sources.

Of the funding, $234.1 million will go to bridge projects; $193.1 million for transit; $88.6 million for road projects; $20 million for multimodal transportation; $5.6 million for research; and $3 million for railroads.

The 2027-30 TIP includes more than 100 projects in the Valley. Some of the notable ones are:

• Continued construction on the Cementon Bridge between Whitehall Township and Northampton, $312,000.

• Rehabilitation of the Hill to Hill Bridge, Bethlehem, $72.3 million.

• Replacement of the Fifth Street bridge over Route 22, Whitehall Township, $4 million.

• Construction of an interchange between Route 309 and Center Valley Parkway, Upper Saucon Township, $79.2 million.

• Rehabilitation or replacement and widening of Route 145 bridge over Jordan Creek, Whitehall Township, $7.3 million.

• Rehabilitation or replacement of Route 512 bridge over a Monocacy Creek tributary, East Allen Township, $5.1 million.

• Replacement of Hecktown Road bridge over Route 22, Bethlehem Township, $1.3 million.

• Rehabilitation or replacement of Route 512 bridge over Martins Creek, Bangor, $2.2 million.

• Route 611 retaining wall replacement, Easton, $3.7 million.

• Riverside Drive RAISE Grant to convert 2 miles of abandoned railroad bed along west bank of Lehigh River into a two-lane street and a multiuse path between Allentown and Whitehall Township, $18.6 million.

• Resurface Route 33 from Route 22 to Interstate 78, Bethlehem and Lower Saucon townships, $8 million.

• Lehigh Street resurfacing and signal improvements, Emmaus and Allentown, $12.4 million.

• Route 22 Fullerton interchange improvements, Whitehall Township, $13.5 million.

• Route 309/Tilghman Street interchange improvements, South Whitehall Township, $1.7 million.

• Route 22/Route 191 interchange improvements, Bethlehem Township, $18.4 million.

• Route 22 widening between Airport Road and Lehigh River Bridge, Hanover Township, Lehigh County, $1.5 million.

• Route 378 lighting between Hill to Hill Bridge and Route 22, Bethlehem, $2.1 million.

• American Parkway safety improvements, Allentown, $5 million.

• Route 191 intersection improvements, with left-turn lanes and realignment with Route 946, Lower Nazareth Township, $4.3 million.

• Route 248/Airport Road intersection improvements, East Allen Township, $4.1 million.

• Road and safety improvements along St. John Street, Easton, $3.4 million.

• Reconstruction and realignment of intersection of Freemansburg Avenue and Farmersville Road, Bethlehem Township, $1.8 million.

• LANTA operations assistance, $111.4 million.

• LANTA bus replacement program, $10.5 million.

The full list can be found at lvpc.org, along with further information about the TIP.