The last gap in the South Bethlehem Greenway has been protected with help from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and federal Highlands Conservation Act funding.
The multiuse trail follows an abandoned rail line through South Bethlehem. The City of Bethlehem has worked to acquire the rail line and develop the trail for more than 15 years. They purchased the first section, about 2.5 miles, in 2008.
The acquisition was a first for the Highlands Grant Program, which funds land protection in parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. It was the first time the program had funded a project with a city, and the first piece of land transferred to a non-state entity.
The resulting trail passes through historic South Bethlehem and features access to Lehigh University and the former Bethlehem Steel campus, now a commercial and cultural center.
“Being able to take what was a nuisance—an abandoned rail line that ran through the middle of this area—and purchase it and turn it into this greenway...it's been transformational,” said Laura Collins, director of community and economic development for the city. “We do a lot of programming now on the greenway with local arts organizations or performance art organizations.”
Once construction finishes on the final segment, the trail will extend south to Hellertown, where it will link to the 7.5-mile Saucon Trail. It will also close another of Pennsylvania’s Top Ten Trail Gaps.
