SCRANTON — Ten trail, road and sidewalk projects in Lackawanna County and Luzerne County received a $3.7 million boost in state funding, state Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, announced Tuesday.
The largest single grant, $1.5 million from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, was awarded to a Lackawanna County project to develop 4 miles of the North Pocono Trail between East Drinker Street in Dunmore and the Elmhurst Reservoir in Elmhurst Twp.
This segment of trail will stretch from a trailhead near Y Knot Pub & Eatery in Elmhurst Twp. to near where the state Department of Transportation is preparing to replace two massive Interstate 84 spans, known as the twin bridges.
When finished, this trail will wind under the twin giants and along a former railroad corridor owned by the county. That corridor runs along Roaring Brook, Elmhurst Reservoir and White Oak Run through Dunmore and Roaring Brook, Elmhurst, Madison and Jefferson townships.
Marc Gaughan, president of the North Pocono Trails Association, recalled biking this rail-to-trail section several years ago with county and DCNR officials checking it out. While Gaughan’s group is not directly involved in this section, this segment of trail eventually would provide a link to the association’s trails near Moscow, he said.
“I think it’s great for people who maybe would like a rail-to-trail — level, flat for biking or walking,” Gaughan said of the four-mile section.
Trails improve quality of life for users and also generate economic gains from tourism, Gaughan said.
“People want to take their families out and go walking, hiking and walking their dogs, and this (section of trail) will be another one,” he said.
Other projects that received state funding will make roads and sidewalks safer and open areas for development and economic activity, Blake said. He worked closely with area state Reps. Mike Carroll, Marty Flynn, Bridget Kosierowski and Kyle Mullins to secure the funding.
Projects in Lackawanna County that received Department of Community and Economic Development multimodal transportation grants include:
Carbondale: $500,000 toward installing sidewalks along Pike Street as part of extending the Lackawanna Heritage Trail into the city.
Blakely: $350,000 to complete Phase 2 of a sidewalk project along Main Street, from Keystone Avenue to Academy Street.
Archbald: $265,000 to construct a culvert and extend East Avenue over Wildwood Creek, to access two sites at the former mine-scarred Sturges Colliery site for economic development.
Roaring Brook Twp.: $215,000 to repave several roads, many not repaved in more than 20 years.
Spring Brook Twp.: $200,000 for paving Aston Mountain Road.
Scranton: $95,000 for preliminary engineering to rehabilitate the Cliff Street underpass, to create disabled-access to Steamtown National Historic Site and the Lackawanna County Intermodal Transportation Center.
Projects and grants in Blake’s district in Luzerne County include:
Mericle 112 Armstrong: $375,000 to build a road to open 115 acres for development of three new buildings of bulk industrial and flex space in CenterPoint Commerce & Trade Park East in Pittston Twp.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport: $86,590 to construct a business center in the Joseph McDade Terminal Building.
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