Rail Trail's Phase 2 Expected to Open in Mid-Late June

Phase Two of the Saucon Rail Trail in Upper Saucon Township should be open to the public by early summer, the township's engineer told supervisors May 13.

The eagerly-awaited "Phase Two" extension of the Saucon Rail Trail in Upper Saucon Township is expected to open in mid-late June, engineer Dennis Harman reported to township supervisors at their May 13 meeting. Phase Two of the trail's construction will extend it by more than a mile—south through Center Valley, to the township's border with Coopersburg. The trail's current southern terminus is Upper Saucon Township Community Park, while its northern terminus is in Hellertown. Harman said paving was taking place the week of May 13, with fencing and signage work scheduled to begin the following week. Phase One of the trail—which also passes through Lower Saucon Township—was opened two years ago. For more information about the Saucon Rail …

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See Progress on Rail Trail Extension [Photos]

Work on the extension of the Saucon Rail Trail is ongoing in Upper Saucon Township. Pictured below are photos taken at the trail's crossing at Flint Hill Road, near Passer Road. The extension is closed while it is under construction.

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Marc "Wiggy" Kovacs

4:05 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Is Upper Saucon going to have a monkey on their portion of the trail? LOL   more ›

Rail Trail Gate Will Cost Homeowner $250

One New Street, Upper Saucon Township property owner along the expanding Saucon Rail Trail has asked for a gate to allow him access from his back yard.

Upper Saucon Township Supervisors all but approved a request from a homeowner to install a gate where the rear of his property will meet the expanding Saucon Rail Trail. James Orlando of 6345 New St. made the request to be able to access the trail from his back yard and has agreed to pay the $250 in additional costs to replace a portion of the fence along his back yard with a gate, said Township Manager Thomas F. Beil. Orlando’s property sits along Phase 2 of the trail, for which supervisors last month hired South Whitehall Township contractor Semmel Excavating to complete this year for $464,000. During Phase 1 of the project, some property owners asked for similar consideration, Beil said. In those cases, the township accommodated them by…

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Learn About Canning at Flint Hill Farm

Canning classes are planned at the Flint Hill Farm Educational Center in Upper Saucon Township.

Don't know what to do with all that luscious produce you have in your garden or from the farmers market? Flint Hill Farm can help you enjoy your goods throughout the entire year. Hands-on canning classes will be offered one day per month. Attendees will learn about different preserving practices. All supplies are provided, and you will walk away with some great samples and the practical experience to "put up" your own fresh goods for enjoyment at home. CLASS SCHEDULE: May 19 -- Jams June 9 -- Fresh Vegetables and Blanching July 7 -- Pickles and Corn Aug. 24 -- Tomatoes, Peaches, and Apples Class times are 10am to noon. The cost per class is $25 per person (price includes all supplies). Class size is limited to 10 participants. Payment must…

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Rail Trail to Extend Further South This Year

Upper Saucon Township supervisors awarded a contract to build the second phase of the township's section of the Saucon Rail Trail.

Upper Saucon Township supervisors awarded a $464,000 contract to a South Whitehall Township company March 11 to complete a rail-to-trail walking and biking path. Phase 2 of the Upper Saucon Township section of the Saucon Rail Trail will extend two miles from Township Park to E. Landis Street—the municipal boundary with the borough of Coopersburg—along an inactive SEPTA rail line. Semmel Excavating Inc., which was awarded the contract, offered the township three different options for work completion. The two other options only brought the trail as far as Passer Road for $225,000 and Southern Lehigh Living Memorial Park for $436,000. In both of those cases, the township would have lost Lehigh County grant money, which is earmarked to pay for…

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Angie Drake

9:43 pm on Monday, April 1, 2013

I wonder how soon it can be completed? I am so glad they are extending the rail trail, yes....this is wonderful news for walkers, runner and bike riders!!   more ›

2013 Rail Trail Commission Meeting Dates & Locations

Below is a list of 2013 meeting dates and locations for the Saucon Rail Trail Oversight Commission, which is made up of representatives from Hellertown, Coopersburg, Upper Saucon Township and Lower Saucon Township.

Note: Saucon Rail Trail Oversight Commission meetings are normally held on the fourth Monday of each month at 6pm. Venues include Hellertown Borough Hall, 685 Main St., Hellertown; the Lower Saucon Township Building, 3700 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bethlehem; the Upper Saucon Township Municipal Building, 5500 Camp Meeting Road, Center Valley; and Coopersburg Borough Hall, 5 N. Main St., Coopersburg. For more information about the SRT, visit sauconrailtrail.org March 25 - Lower Saucon Township April 22 - Hellertown May - NONE (Memorial Day) June 24 - Coopersburg July 22 - Upper Saucon Township Aug. 26 - Lower Saucon Township Sept. 23 - Hellertown Oct. 28 - Coopersburg Nov. 25 - Upper Saucon Township December - NONE (Christmas)

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'Old Saucon' Groundbreaking Imminent

Upper Saucon Township supervisors have approved Phase 1 of a 70-acre project that will include 80 age-restricted homes and a shopping center along Route 378.

A developer will soon break ground on a 70-acre mixed-use development along Route 378 between Center Valley Parkway and Saucon Valley Road. On March 11, Upper Saucon Township supervisors unanimously approved Phase 1 of the project, which will bring 33 new age-restricted homes to the portion of the Old Saucon development nearest Saucon Valley Road. Project partner John Blair of Blair Custom Homes said he intends to build 25 single-family units and eight twin homes in that area over the next three to four years. Old Saucon will be an age-restricted community, serving residents 55 and older. Pennsylvania guidelines state that 20 percent of the population can be under 55. On full build-out, the Old Saucon project will include 56 single and 24 …

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Sleepy Driver Crashes Into Tractor Trailer, Police Say

A dozing van driver was moderately hurt when he veered off I-78 and into a disabled tractor-trailer in Upper Saucon Township, state police reported.

A Berks County man was moderately injured recently when he fell asleep while driving on Interstate 78 in Upper Saucon Township and woke up underneath a trailer of the rig he struck, according to police. Michael A. Tuturice, 27, of Birdsboro was westbound on I-78 when he fell asleep at 10:41pm Feb. 28, according to state police at Fogelsville. Tuturice's GMC Savana drifted off the roadway, where he struck a disabled tractor-trailer that was legally parked on the shoulder. Tuturice's van wedged under the trailer, with part of his vehicle blocking the right travel lane. Tuturice received moderate unspecified injuries and was transported to a hospital by Upper Saucon Ambulance Corps, police said. The truck driver was unnamed in the police …

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Limeport Pike Closures to Impact Traffic for Months

PennDOT announced Friday that part of Limeport Pike in Upper Saucon Township will be subject to daytime closures through early June, as crews replace a water main.

A water main replacement project in Upper Saucon Township will result in periodic daytime closures of a busy road near Route 309 through early June, PennDOT announced Friday. While Limeport Pike is closed between Lanark and West Saucon Valley roads, traffic will be detoured onto those thoroughfares, PennDOT said. The existing three-inch water main will be replaced with an eight-inch main, according to the news release. For more information about the project, motorists should visit www.uppersaucon.org or contact the Upper Saucon Township Water Department at (610) 694-0829. The estimated completion date for the work is June 6, 2013.

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Expect Road Work, Delays on Route 378

PennDOT says the work is related to two bridge replacement projects in Upper Saucon Township.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced Wednesday that work will begin Monday, Nov. 19 to repair two bridges built in 1935 on Route 378 between Center Valley Parkway and Spring Valley Road in Upper Saucon Township. The work is part of a project that's expected to be completed in January 2013. "The contractor will repair the abutments, pier, parapets and wing-walls on the PA 378 Bridge over Saucon Creek," PennDOT's Engineering District 5 said in a press release. "They will also repair the parapets and wing-walls on the PA 378 Bridge over a tributary to Saucon Creek." Additional work will include tree trimming and debris removal from near the bridges.  "While there will be no long-term lane closures, starting Monday…

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