County of Northampton

Easton buying rail line for 2-mile elevated trail with $1.2M in funding secured The proposed Easton Highline would connect Downtown Easton to West Easton along an unused rail line suspended above Lehigh Drive and the Lehigh River.

Celebrating the Easton PA Official ribbon-cutting for The Confluence, the newest apartment building in Easton near the meeting of Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. During State Representative Bob Freeman’s comments, he recognized the history of the site as home to a close-knit Lebanese community— prior to its demolition during the urban renewal of the 1960s.

Northampton County was proud to partner with Lehigh Valley Health Network, part of Jefferson Health, to help fund the hospital’s mobile health coach through ARPA funding. The ribbon cutting for the vehicle was held this week and Executive Zrinski joined the COO of Lehigh Valley Hospital - Hecktown Oaks Lisa Liddington, Emergency Medicine physician Dr. Eric Bean, the County’s Director of Community & Economic Development Tina Smith, Deputy Director of Northampton County Department of Community & Economic Development Marek Tomanek, and more LVHN employees.

The health coach will partner with local schools and businesses to promote health and wellness events and provide increased access to healthcare in areas where access is challenging.

[Northampton County, PA] —Northampton County was awarded a federal Transportation Alternatives Set Aside (TASA) grant for $1.5M in funding to rehabilitate County Bridge #149, located on Cedar Drive in Lehigh Township. This bridge, built in 1826, is one of the most historically significant bridges in Northampton County’s transportation system.

The TASA grant provides funding for projects and activities defined as transportation alternatives, including on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility, community improvement activities, environmental mitigation, trails that serve a transportation purpose, and safe routes to school projects.

The bridge is recognized as the oldest bridge still remaining in the County inventory and serves as a rare surviving example of early 19th-century stone masonry engineering. Its unique three-span masonry arch design was built to withstand heavy loads and seasonal flooding long before modern steel and concrete bridges became standard. Since it is currently in poor condition, the TASA grant will allow for it be repaired in a manner consistent with the original design; to remove, repair and reinstall bulging stone masonry spandrel walls, install new guardrails, and add signage and hazard clearance markers.

What makes the structure especially notable is its use of multiple stone arches, a construction method that required extensive skilled craftsmanship and locally quarried stone. Unlike later metal truss or reinforced concrete bridges, masonry arch bridges rely entirely on compression forces to transfer weight through the arches into the abutments. Because of their durability, many stone arch bridges survived for centuries, but relatively few remain intact today—especially multi-span examples like Bridge #149.

The bridge also reflects the agricultural and industrial history of Lehigh Township during the early 1800s. At the time of its construction, reliable crossings were essential for moving farm goods, livestock, and materials between rural communities and nearby market towns. Cedar Drive and surrounding roadways would have been important local transportation routes during Northampton County’s early development.

“The historic masonry of arch bridges like County Bridge #149 are becoming increasingly rare across Pennsylvania and the United States,” said County Executive Tara Zrinski. “This bridge is not only an engineering landmark, but also an important piece of Northampton County’s historic character that we are proud will be preserved.”
# # #

County Executive Zrinski attended The Towpath to Tomorrow: A Taste of the Lehigh Valley, the D&L National Heritage Corridor's fundraising celebration at the Crayola Experience in Easton.

She enjoyed the National Canal Museum’s newest traveling exhibition, Dynamo! The Innovators, Inventors, and Architects of Revolutionary Change—and got an early look at DLNHC’s new strategic plan.

Read more about the tuition assistance program on the Gracedale Nursing Home blog!

My Journey to Becoming a Nurse - Gracedale By Rachel Cannell It all started when I went to church with a friend and noticed they were hosting a job fair the following weekend. Since I was looking for a job, I decided to go. That’s where I met Rosemarie from Gracedale’s Human Resources. She was wonderful! We talked about Gracedale, and I ...

Northampton County was proud to support Miller-Keystone Blood Center through a grant to aid in the purchase of two new community bloodmobiles--Bloodhound II and Bloodhound III.

Today, County Executive Zrinski celebrated the launch of those two bloodmobiles with Rami Nemeh and Lina Barbieri of Miller Keystone Blood Center, the MKBC board, and local officials from both County Of Lehigh and Northampton County Department of Community & Economic Development. Then she stopped in the Center to give blood.

Every day, blood donations support emergency care, cancer treatments, surgeries, trauma response, and countless medical procedures that families across our region depend on. We thank Miller Keystone

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2026

Aerial Black Fly (Gnat) Suppression Operation Scheduled for Friday, May 29 on the Delaware River

NOTICE

WHO: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
WHAT: Aerial Spraying for Black Flies
WHERE: Delaware River & Lehigh River
WHEN: Friday, May 29, 2026

[Northampton County, PA] – An aerial black fly (gnat) suppression operation is scheduled for Friday, May 29 on the Delaware River. This operation will begin at Washington Crossing in Bucks County at 8:00 a.m. and will finish in Northampton County. This aerial application will include flights in Bucks and Northampton Counties. The helicopter will be a Bell OH58 Jet Ranger with the tail number N655HA and is painted grey with blue & red stripes.

Please note that this work does NOT involve a helicopter spraying over the entire county and applications will only occur on the specific waterways: Delaware River: Between Trenton, New Jersey and Slateford, Pennsylvania.

Helicopter Applicators Inc. will be dispersing Vectobac 12AS, which is a Bti product manufactured by Valent Biosciences. Bti is short for Bacillus thuringiensis var. israilensis, which is a bacterial larvicide, not a chemical, and is the only product used in Pennsylvania's waterways for black fly suppression. Vectobac 12AS is a brown liquid with a fish oil odor. The helicopter will fly low near tree top level and will release the Vectobac at various predetermined positions on each stream. Vectobac is not toxic to fish or other aquatic organisms. Attached is a copy of the Vectobac label and safety data sheet in case you would need information on the product.

If you have any questions regarding these operations, please contact 215-327-1524 or email the Vector Management Program at [email protected].

# # #