Ribbon Cut on Saucon Rail Trail
Local officials and residents turned out to celebrate the completion and official opening of the trail in Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township.
Photos
It was an occasion to celebrate in Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township, as local officials and residents gathered in the borough's Water Street Park to cut the ribbon on the new Saucon Rail Trail Saturday morning.
Standing near an information kiosk next to the trail, Lower Saucon Township Manager Jack Cahalan welcomed attendees to the ceremony and talked about how the completion of the rails-to-trails project was a years-in-the-making effort.
Noting the contribution made to that effort by former Hellertown Borough Manager Charlie Luthar, Cahalan commented that "Charlie made a phone call I think every other month to SEPTA starting seven years ago."
SEPTA owns the rail line, and the rail trail property is now under a 30-year lease to the municipalities through which it passes, including the borough and the township.
"Finally, three or four years ago I think something clicked down in Philadelphia," Cahalan said.
Cahalan also thanked public works department employees from both Hellertown and Lower Saucon for working in overdrive-mode in order to finish work on the trail by early this month.
He added that the project's completion would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the volunteers who have met monthly as part of the Saucon Rail Trail Advisory Committee.
The members of the committee, which will continue to meet in the future, include Frank Pazzaglia (Hellertown), Steve LaBrake (Hellertown), Gail Nolf (Hellertown), Donna Bristol (Lower Saucon), Jerry Holum (Lower Saucon) and Jennifer Wescoe-Schaninger (Coopersburg).
Referencing the fact that the SEPTA rail line once brought thousands of passengers through Hellertown and Lower Saucon--on their way to Philadelphia or Bethlehem--Cahalan said it is satisfying to realize that the trail will once again bring thousands of people to both communities.
"It's a wonderful, wonderful thing that's happened here," he said.
Hellertown Borough Council President Phil Weber agreed, and noted that first and foremost, the trail "is for the people of Hellertown and Lower Saucon."
Lower Saucon Township Council President Glenn Kern joked that since his home is only about 20 feet from the rail trail, it would be nice if walkers speak quietly if they pass it at 7am.
Over the past two months, he said he's observed many people walking the trail, socializing, exercising and having fun.
"The people that are walking the trail are coming together," he commented. "It's a gathering place for our community."
After remarks had concluded, Kern, Weber and several other council members from both municipalities stood across the trail and ceremonially cut a long red ribbon in honor of the occasion.
Immediately afterward, a number of attendees headed off to walk, bike, and even Segway down the new path in both directions.
More information about the Saucon Rail Trail is available online on the rail trail committee's Facebook page.
Rules for the trail's use are posted in the information kiosk next to the trail in Water Street Park.
Kim LaBrake
11:47 am on Saturday, May 7, 2011
Congratulations and Thank you to all who worked on this for our communities
Jenae Holtzhafer
2:50 pm on Saturday, May 7, 2011
Looks AMAZING!! We can't wait to get out and let the boys explore on their bikes in a safe venue. What an excellent addition to our area. I'm definitely going to plan this as an event for our South Mountain Family Adventurers group (www.meetup.com/lvfamilyfun). This is right up our alley - or 'Rail to Trail' as the case may be!
Paul Iverson
9:34 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I would love to use the rail trail, but 309 and 476 were jammed with traffic. Too bad I could not get there using, say, the train. A two track line linking the important cities of Philadelphia, Bethlehem and Allentown was destroyed for this? One track could have been left in place, fenced off and the other used for recreational purposes. Rails with trails is becoming much more popular in the auto-centric U.S....and gets far more people off the road and out of the vehicles.
Once again, the needs of the few have trumped the needs of the masses. The U.S. will continue to have a sub-par transit system, while the rest of the world will laugh at the Saucon Rail Trail.
Hellertown Borough Council President Phil Weber pretty much summed up the U.S. "me" vs. "we" attutide: first and foremost, the trail "is for the people of Hellertown and Lower Saucon." The rest of you? Sorry...
Josh Popichak
10:48 am on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Hi Paul,
Just to clarify, no one that spoke at the event said that visitors are not welcome. (In fact, if anything, it was the opposite message expressed.) And I don't think that was the implication in what Council President Weber said. I think he simply wanted to highlight the fact that this trail will help connect the two communities and really benefit their residents.
Josh
Paul Iverson
1:28 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Hi Josh - thanks for responding, but we are missing the bigger picture here. While it is nice that the community is coming together---something sorely lacking in American life today---it is at the expense of a very viable transportation corridor.
This was no little branch line abandoned and sold to the county. This was a major two track line that connect Allentown and Bethlehem to Philadelphia. The fault really belongs to SEPTA, who caved into powerful politics in Northampton County. When the gas prices reach $5 (very soon), then people will be crying, particularly those who cannot afford it and have to commute to towns the railroad transverses. A relatively high-grade piece of infrastructure has been diverted (temporarily, one would hope) to a relatively low-grade purpose. It's like taking over an expressway to use for someone's driveway.
Your roads will continue to get worse as each day passes, the economy recovers and loads of cars are trying to get to Sands. i do not envision loads of people who lacks cars walking the trail to Bethlehem.
Bob Allen
12:38 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I paid $4.09 this morning to fill up my car costing me over $50 to top off the tank. It amazing all of the back patting going on for this "wonderful" trail, while forward thinking plans to bring train service back between Allentown-Bethlehem-Lansdale get tossed away. Its pretty clear this arterial corridor, once a backbone for commerce and industry has been willed dead by those in power in Council, and with even less help from Lehigh County.
Now PennDOT wants to dump $1 billion into 476 to add more lanes, which will bring more traffic, more pollution and guarantee to keep us on the road to self-destruction once our resouces have been depleted all for a trail for litle Jane and Johnny.
Jenae Holtzhafer
1:33 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I'm from Emmaus and not completely familiar with this railroad. I'd love more info. Can anyone tell us when it was last functional? Was there a possibility of it ever been used again?
There are Rail to Trail systems popping up all over the country, not just in our area, because it is a functional and immediate use for abandoned lines, many of which haven't been used for decades.
What would the cost have been to implement a functional rail system here?
I think the need for a rail transit system from the LV to Philly/NYC is a long-time coming, but what is the reality in it in this poor economic time?
Paul Iverson
2:08 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Hi Jenae - thank you for responding. I was afraid that many people were left in the dark on this.
The line in question was a major thoroughfare until 1981. SEPTA/Conrail ran trains from Bethlehem south through Hellertown, Center Valley, Quakertown, Lansdale and Philadelphia. Trains stopped in 1981 because PennDOT refused to pay for any train services outside of Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Phila counties. SEPTA did nothing to fill the funding gap and also wanted to run trains that were powered by overhead electric wires only. So in 1981, trains to Bethlehem, and Reading/Pottsville were nixed in one shot.
See link below for history:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septa_regional_rail#The_end_of_diesel_routes
Since then, towns along the line have begged SEPTA to restore even minimal service but they want the line gold-plated: electrified, trains every 30 minutes...basically, like a subway. They tried to restore service to Reading using this, and Rendell promptly told SEPTA it should be a simple, cheaper commuter train...like New Jersey Transit, the LIRR and every other agency operates.
Paul Iverson
2:10 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Quick correction:
Towns along the line have begged SEPTA to restore even minimal service but SEPTA wants the line gold-plated: electrified, trains every 30 minutes...basically, like a subway. They refuse a simple start up because they are trying to prune the railroad network as much as possible
Paul Iverson
2:09 pm on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
A simple operation could be done for under $50 mil. A combination of federal, state and local funding would do it (it is done all over the U.S. on a regular basis - New Mexico even pulled it off) The track was all there and was last used bny freight trains in the mid-1990s (only passenger service ended in 1981). Private investors tried to restore train service between 1981 and 2005 between Lansdale (where the electric ends) and Bethlehem, but SEPTA made it impossible and put endless restrictions on operations. Plus, every town along the line has to agree on the line reopening. One town can stop the project, ruining it for the rest of them. Then came Saucon Township with a rail trail, and SEPTA resisted. But SEPTA gave in, looking for a "caretaker" of their "real estate". It is all political and SEPTA mismanagement and nothing more.
These economic times are tough for sure, but a resurrected railroad line brings enormous economical benefits for the community and the region on the whole. NJT is rebuilding an abanoned RR line in North Jersey. They have the vision forward: SEPTA does not.
Hope this helps, as long winded as it is. It is now too little to late.
www.pa-tec.org
JANET REILLY
8:51 pm on Wednesday, May 11, 2011
My dog Clyde who is a chocolate lab just loves walking on the trail. My grandson Kevin Reilly Rice designed and made the kiosk for his Eagle Scout project, along with his father, grandfather, his uncle and help from other scouts and friends. I think this is wonderful for everyone who likes to walk or ride bikes. It is a good way to meet people from our communityand seems to be very safe. There is always someone on the path if you would need help.
Josh Popichak
11:08 am on Thursday, May 12, 2011
Hi Janet,
There's a dog that looks like a chocolate lab in the slideshow. If that's Clyde he's beautiful! It was a pleasure meeting you the other day at Saucon Valley History Day. Happy trail-walking!
Josh
JANET REILLY
11:00 pm on Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Hi Josh,
You are correct that was Clyde at the Saucon Valley History Day. We are still having lots of fun on the trail as are a lot of other people and pets we have met. Clyde has quite a few new friends.