At the Aug. 7 workshop meeting, Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners heard an update on the Riverside Drive project.

Becky Bradley, Lehigh Valley Planning Commission executive director; Christine Frey, from Pennsylvania Department of Transportation; and Chris Stanford, with Michael Baker International, gave the presentation. LVPC applied for and received a $21 million RAISE grant in 2021.

The Riverside Drive project will revitalize the former R.J. Coleman railroad from Furnace Street to Wood Street. If there is enough money remaining, PennDOT hopes to extend the project to Lehigh Avenue.

The project is expected to take place between August 2024 and August 2029, Frey said. It consists of a roadway to be owned by Allentown and Whitehall Township, as well as a shared-use trail owned by Lehigh County.

In the township, the proposed roadway will have two 12-foot lanes with two 2-foot shoulders, making the road 28 feet wide. This road has a proposed speed limit of 25 mph.

A 5-foot buffer will separate the road from the 12-foot shared-use trail for walking and cycling.

Stanford said they are working to achieve the township’s goals for the road, including restricting tractor-trailers, creating traffic-calming measures and offering trailhead parking.

In other business, the commissioners will vote on an ordinance authorizing a loan from the Lafarge Fund to the Weinhofer Farms preservation. If approved, the board will also decide on a five- or 10-year repayment plan.

The board next meets 7 p.m. Aug. 14 at the municipal building, 3219 MacArthur Road.