If consultant Thomas Comitta's vision becomes reality, Hamilton Boulevard will look less like a highway and more like an attractive parkway.

At a recent South Whitehall commissioner's meeting, Comitta presented a proposal for enhancements designed to improve safety and aesthetics along Hamilton Boulevard from Lincoln Avenue to Cedar Crest Boulevard.

Comitta's plan includes a gateway with trees and a unique monument sculpture at the eastern and western boundaries of the designated section of the boulevard.

He provided an explanation of the tree-like sculpture.

"It is an icon resembling a water slide at Dorney Park, using colors from the park-red for the trunk and blue and yellow for the foliage," Comitta told South Whitehall commissioners.

He reviewed the purpose of the project.

"We want to take a state highway and make it pedestrian friendly," Comitta said. "Street trees and lights provide a calming effect."

In addition to the gateway designs, Comitta proposes trees, hedges, crosswalks, bus stops, benches, street lights and banners.

At the midway point, he laid out a raised crosswalk with a "green refuge" in the center where a person can wait if unable to make it all the way across.

Over the years, a recurring topic of discussion at commissioners' meetings has been the issue of pedestrian safety along Hamilton Boulevard, with particular concern for individuals crossing back and forth to businesses and Dorney Park.

Board President Christina "Tori" Morgan commented on the proposal.

"This concept is not new," she said. "We've talked about this time and time again. This is a catalyst to get started.

"Let's focus not only on Dorney Park but also on the hotels, restaurants and shops.

"Let's consider grants and see about the interest level of stakeholders in the area."

Comitta said the township will need cooperation from PennDOT to occupy the right-of-way and from property owners to place the enhancements.

He added South Whitehall's engineer will need to conduct traffic studies along the area under consideration for improvement.

"Who's paying for this?" resident Michael Molovinsky asked. "This plan should be instituted by Dorney Park to work in with its traffic patterns."

Comitta recommended seeking grants for the project. Acting township Manager Howard Kutzler offered his remarks on the issue.

"This provides a positive image for the community," Kutzler said. "Let's look for a funding mechanism and set up a meeting with property owners to see what they think of the concept.

"We will reach out to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission and the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study. This is a good starting point."

Commissioner David Bond added the final words to the discussion.

"Focus on safety," Bond said.