The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources awarded $960,000 to the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor through their Community Conservation & Partnership Program.

The money draws down funding from the $3 million allocated by DCNR as part of a recent funding announcement for the D&L Trail through the Lehigh Valley.

The money covers half of the estimated project cost to assess, design and construct the D&L Trail in Catasauqua north of Race Street with landowner Lehigh County.

The grant is in conjunction with funds awarded to Hanover Township and the City of Allentown for the D&L Trail.

“Closing the D&L Trail gap between Allentown and Catasauqua is now within reach,” says DLNHC Director of Trails and Conservation, Mandy Tolino. “This funding is a critical piece of the puzzle to allow trail users to travel from Bristol to Black Diamond, connecting them to over 100 miles of natural and industrial heritage, and bolstering the economic opportunities available to our Trail Towns and Trail Friendly Businesses.”

The original commitment was part of a larger funding announcement of $7 million in November 2022.

Then Sen. Pat Browne secured $2 million through the 2022-23 state budget, and DCNR committed to an additional $3 million for the canal side to close trail gaps in Catasauqua, Hanover Township and Allentown.

The remainder of the combined $7 million was awarded to Lehigh County through a grant of $2 million to be matched by county funds for assistance with land acquisition for future D&L Trail development on the west side of the river that contains a rail trail.

Both sections of D&L Trail are part of the larger D&L Trail: Lehigh Valley Gap, a stretch along each side of the Lehigh River between the Route 329 bridge and the Hamilton Street bridge following the canal towpath and former rail bed.

The section in Catasauqua north of Race Street, for which this $960,000 has been awarded, will help in the effort to connect two significant portions of D&L Trail along the eastern side of the Lehigh River, creating 140 miles of continuous open trail through the five counties that make up the National Heritage Corridor.

Once fully connected through Luzerne County, the D&L Trail will link Wilkes-Barre to Bristol with more than 165 miles, making it the longest multi-use trail in Pennsylvania.