by Hacker
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/sauconv ... 6101.story
If all continues according to plan, more than half of the Saucon Rail Trail will open in April.
Three years in the making, the eight-mile long, 10-foot wide multi-use trail is being constructed along the path of the former SEPTA rail line. It runs through four municipalities in two counties. Officials hope it will provide endless enjoyment for thousands of outdoor enthusiasts.
"It's going to be great, fabulous, once it's done," said Lower Saucon Township Manager Jack Cahalan. "It's wide and breathtaking and goes through the heart of these communities."
Cahalan, a cyclist, can't wait for the snow to disappear and the finishing touches to be made to the trail to give it a try.
Upper Saucon Township and the boroughs of Hellertown and Coopersburg also are part of the planning and implementation of the trail. Cooperation among the foursome has been good, according to Cahalan, also a member of the trail advisory board, composed of members from each community.
Each municipality will set and enforce its own regulations for its section of trail; however the intention is that the sections operate as one park.
"Some intergovernmental agreements need to be worked out," Cahalan said. "Uniform signage and rules and so forth. But that hasn't been done yet."
The trail will originate at the Thomas Iron Site, near Saucon Park in Hellertown. It will wind about 1.4 miles southwest before entering Lower Saucon, which also hosts about 1.4 miles of the trail.
The two sections will open together because Hellertown provides needed access points to the trail. According to Charlie Luthar, outgoing borough manager there, a few issues remain to be resolved with the state Department of Transportation for the Water Street Crossing, where the department requires a flashing warning light to be moved. The Walnut Street crossing also requires signage and street markings in place before opening day.
"We got about $35,000 in a county grant for this work," Luthar said. "We're hoping to see the trail open in the spring, but these features have to be done first before we can open that crossing."
The lease agreement with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority offered 30-year terms for payment of $1 per year. But the contract includes a right-of-reversion clause, meaning the authority has the right to reclaim the land to restore rail travel there if it chooses. The clause has been a sticking point in getting grants from the state, according to Tom Beil, township manager in Upper Saucon.
"The state doesn't want to put up money if SEPTA might come and take it back," he said. "I don't think it's likely, but they [SEPTA] insisted on that provision. We couldn't negotiate it. It would have been a deal-breaker."
Corporate and individual sponsorship has been pursued, with no luck to date, Cahalan said. So far, the municipalities have relied on their budgets, with the possibility of a grant pending from the Northampton County Gaming Authority for Lower Saucon and Hellertown.
In addition to the nearly 3-mile stretch in Hellertown and Lower Saucon, a 2-mile section is finished in Upper Saucon from the Township Park on Preston Lane to the border with Lower Saucon.
Phases 2 and 3, about one mile each, haven't been started, and are waiting for funding. Upper Saucon opted against funding the next phases this year as a cost-saving measure.
"We really don't have a timeline yet for them," Beil said. "It depends on the funding."
According to Borough Manager Dawn Kresge, work on Coopersburg's half-mile stretch of the trail won't begin for at least two more years, until Upper Saucon's Phase 2 gets to the Coopersburg border.
"The Upper Saucon trail connects on both sides, [of Coopersburg] and we can't start until they get to us. It will be a great resource, but we just have to wait," she said.
The next meeting of the Saucon Rail Trail Advisory Board, which is open to the public, will be 5 p.m. Feb. 28 in Coopersburg Borough Hall, 5 N. Main St., Coopersburg
