The proposed relocation of Riverside Drive in eastern Salisbury Township, Fountain Hill and Bethlehem has apparently become the road to nowhere.

Relocation of the road, which roughly parallels the Norfolk Southern Railway railroad track on the south side of the Lehigh River and north of Lehigh Mountain, was proposed by St. Luke's University Hospital to provide an alternative access to the hospital.

Brighton Street was to be extended north to Riverside Drive to provide access to the St. Luke's Fountain Hill campus.

After approximately five years of negotiations with Norfolk Southern, St. Luke's has apparently abandoned the project, which was to have cost from $8 million to $15 million.

The Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners voted 5 - 0 to accept the withdrawal of the Preliminary-Final Plan for the St. Luke's Riverside Road Project.

The letter for the request for withdrawal was received from Atty. Erich J. Schock, Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, Center Valley, representing St. Luke's.

"I'm not sure if St. Luke's has abandoned that route," said Salisbury Township Manager Randy J. Soriano.

David J. Tettemer, Salisbury Township Consulting Engineer who has excused himself during previous township deliberations about the Riverside Road Project because he was consulting St. Luke's as engineer for the project, offered additional information when asked by Soriano at the Sept. 26 township meeting.

"Five years ago, St. Luke's began its plan for improvements to connect as a back door to their facility," Tettemer said.

Officials of St. Luke's, which is classified as a major regional trauma center, wanted an alternative route to the hospital because of frequent traffic congestion at the southern terminus of the Hill-to-Hill Bridge and along Delaware Avenue. St. Luke's, 801 Ostrum St., is located off Delaware Avenue in Fountain Hill.

"The problem was they [St. Luke's and Norfolk Southern] had to relocate the railroad and road [Riverside Drive]."

The plan was for Norfolk Southern to move the railroad track. Riverside Drive was to then be reconstructed on the site of the railroad track.

"Norfolk Southern pretty much said 'no" and that killed the project," said Tettemer.

"They spent two and one-half years negotiating," Tettemer continued.

"It would've been a nice project," added Tettemer. "But you can't mess with Norfolk Southern."

The relocated Riverside Drive was to have included the addition of a bicycle, running and walking path alongside it. The hope was it to connect the South Bethlehem Greenway and Walking Purchase Park.

The road improvement was seen as providing better access to the Lehigh County minimum security prison and drug and alcohol treatment center, located off Riverside Drive in Salisbury.

It was hoped that the Riverside Drive improvements would improve access to the 500-acre Walking Purchase Park in Salisbury, which is jointly administered by the township, City of Allentown and Lehigh County.

St. Luke's was granted several extensions for the Riverside Drive Project plan, which was presented to the township Planning Commission, which had voted to recommend approval of the plan following several meetings.

The Fountain Hill Planning Commission and Bethlehem Planning Commission had also recommended approval of the plan.

Riverside Drive is accessible from the east, off South Third Street, Bethlehem, and to the west, off Constitution Drive, Allentown.

St. Luke's was negotiating with Reeb Mill Works Corp., 600 Brighton St., for purchase of land to accommodate the project.

In a Dec. 11, 2009, City of Bethlehem Department of Community and Economic Development memo, it was stated of the Riverside Drive project:

"The proposed project provides significant public benefit for both emergency services and also routine traffic flow.

"It is obviously a very complicated project requiring approvals from several parties, including private land owners, Norfolk Southern and a few municipalities."

The Bethlehem Planning Commission voted unanimously at its Dec. 10, 2009, meeting to recommend that [Bethlehem] City Council accept the eventual dedication of Riverside Drive, as depicted on the St . Luke' s Riverside Drive Roadway Plan, subject to final review by the City.

According to Bethlehem planners, the South Bethlehem Greenway is to be expanded west to connect with Walking Purchase Park.

The Riverside Drive Project was seen as making that connection safer and more accessible.

According to Bethlehem planners, the road system leading to the St. Luke's Fountain Hill Campus "provides insufficient road capacity to accommodate peak traffic in routine conditions.

"Main corridors include Route 378 and West Third Street. Any complicating situation on these roadways (i.e., traffic accident or water main break) can quickly cause gridlock with few options to reroute traffic.

"This proposal creates a second access to the Fountain Hill Campus, which will assist in everyday access to and from the site but can also act as a more primary access way in emergency situations."

Riverside Drive is a private road in Bethlehem. The city would have had to accept it as a public road.

The Norfolk Southern rail line is on the south side of Riverside Drive. It was to have been relocated to the north side of Riverside Drive to eliminate two rail crossings, providing greater safety for automobile and pedestrian traffic.

The Brighton Street extension would allow St. Luke's employees and visitors to by-pass traffic congestion and utilize the Fahy Bridge to travel north.

Similarly, in-bound use during afternoon and evening hours from north to south, via the Fahy Bridge using the Second Street ramp to Riverside Drive to St. Luke's, was also cited as beneficial.