Lehigh Valley receives $21.2 million for Allentown Riverside Drive project

The Allentown Riverside Drive Multimodal Revitalization Corridor is one step closer to reality after the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission received $21.2 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation Tuesday. 

The funds from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant will build out the Allentown Riverside Drive Multimodal Revitalization Corridor, a 3.5-mile system of off-highway roads, pedestrian and cycling paths and transit stretching from Allentown through Whitehall Township. 

“Today, I am proud to say that Allentown can begin to take action on a project vital to the economic and community health of the region,” U.S. Senator Bob Casey, D-Pa, said yesterday. “Building out Riverside Drive will connect marginalized communities to the rest of the Lehigh Valley, incorporating equity into our nation’s plans to invest in infrastructure. This project would not only improve pedestrian safety, but address pollution issues and facilitate commutes for workers.” 

RAISE is the main discretionary grant program for major road, rail, transit and port projects. Riverside Drive would be a road, trail and transit route, and intersect with existing road, sidewalk, transit and trail network s at several points.  

The project aims to improve pedestrian and vehicular safety, address transportation sector carbon emissions and localized air pollution and facilitate access to both jobs and outdoor recreation for communities of color and low-income neighborhoods in Allentown, a statement from Casey’s office said. 

Congresswoman Susan Wild, D-PA-07, was instrumental in helping the project through the grant evaluation process. 

 “I couldn’t be prouder to have worked alongside the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission to help finally make the Riverside Drive plan a reality,” said Wild, “This RAISE Grant will not only create good-paying jobs and bolster our local economy, but it will fundamentally improve the quality of life for families across my district. This project just goes to show the significance of infrastructure investments for communities like ours, and I am thrilled to see it move forward.” 

According to the website developed to promote the project by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, Raiseriversidedrive.com, the $57.6 million project will add $100 million in new opportunities, increase real estate tax revenue from $120,000 (the 2012 baseline) to more than $4 million, create more than 2,900 permanent jobs within five commercial office buildings, and house more than 750 residents in four residential complexes. 

The area is the most economically distressed in the Lehigh Valley, according to the website, with 21.6% of its residents living in poverty, 21-30% with no vehicles and 12-27% disabled.  

The project will redevelop multiple brownfields through a united effort of 29 municipalities, five counties, the state government, six nonprofit organizations and more than 800 businesses, the website said.