North Catasauqua Borough recently announced it would be awarded roughly a quarter of a million dollars to begin a beautification project at the public works complex, 1460 Main St.

One of the primary goals of the project is to increase awareness of and accessibility to the existing trailhead of the Delaware & Lehigh Trail, which is tucked away behind the complex. The newly secured funding will go toward phase one of the project, which will see the entrance to the complex across from Penn Street converted into a public two-way road that better connects the trailhead to Main Street.

Later phases of the project will add a green space to make the area more welcoming to the public. Phase one is not expected to be completed until sometime next year.

In the meantime, residents should be aware of the existing path to the trailhead. In between the public works complex and Pizza D’oro, 1492 Main St., is an alleyway, which from the outside looks like just another entrance to the public works complex. This is actually the entrance to the trailhead.

The alley takes you downhill and behind the fenced confines of the public works complex. At its end is a small parking lot and a sign that says, “Welcome to Borough of North Catasauqua Rails to Trails Walkway.”

Beside the sign is the actual entrance to the trail. Another downhill path takes you underneath the train tracks and out on the other side, placing you on the D&L Trail.

The North Catasauqua/Catasauqua section of the trail is only 1.4 miles and is currently buffered by incomplete sections to the north and south in Northampton Borough and Hanover Township. When those sections are properly completed, the two boroughs will be linked to the rest of the 165-mile trail.

By that time, the completed green space at the trailhead will not only serve as a great recreation spot for residents of Catasauqua and North Catasauqua boroughs but will also draw in new visitors who are passing through town on the trail.