Station area 7 · Lehigh & Southside
Third Street / SteelStacks
Planning phase. An independent plan; nothing is funded or built yet. What this means
Transfer with LANTA's SouthSide Station stops · arts and events · Wind Creek connection
Why here
Already on LANTA's Enhanced Bus Service trunk (Green and Blue lines). The River Line upgrades it; event crowds at SteelStacks and Musikfest make it a natural hub.
Program ideas Proposed · planning phase
- Transfer plaza and event queuing
- Wayfinding to the Steel Ice Center, Skateplaza, the Greenway and Wind Creek
- Link to Bethlehem Commons, a separate recreation-campus project whose candidate sites are about a 7–8 minute walk away
- Street-level "Dig & Discover" gallery idea (no basement: the site is flood-exposed)
Which extras are worth it here, maybe later, or not worth it is rated further down this page.
What exists today Existing today
- LANTA EBS stops at SouthSide Station by the Polk St Garage (731 spaces, opened 2023).
- About 202 LANTA weekday trips within 400 m (2022 timetable data).
Measured station area
- Elevation
- 72 m (USGS 3DEP)
- 10-minute walk
- 121 ha · 760 buildings · 511 places
Walk areas are slope-adjusted 10-minute walksheds on the Overture pedestrian network; building and place counts are intensity proxies, not population or jobs.
Future train access On the rail-ready corridor
Sits on the rail-ready valley corridor at Third St / SteelStacks.
No passenger trains run in Bethlehem today, and no regional rail route or station has been chosen. Rail-ready stops are where this plan would keep space free. How this was measured.
Measured links
- River Line — upgraded EBS core: Farrington Square → Third St / SteelStacks · 0.67 km · ~1.6 min · max 5.2%
- Valley Express — bus option: Wind Creek → Third St / SteelStacks · 1.46 km · ~3.4 min · max 5.2%
- Valley Express — bus option: Third St / SteelStacks → Farrington Square · 0.67 km · ~1.6 min · max 5.2%
- River Line extension to Wind Creek: Third St / SteelStacks → Wind Creek · 1.46 km · ~3.4 min · max 5.2%
Still unknown
- Flood elevations (ground is indicatively 0.5–1.9 m below the 1942 record crest; datum and levee status unverified)
- Event-day traffic plans
Amenities here: worth it or not Screening judgment
Flood-exposed River Line terminus and event stop at LANTA's SouthSide Station beside the Polk St Garage (731 spaces), which earns event, heritage, driver-relief and rail-ready features but nothing enclosed or valuable at ground level.
Worth it here
- Secure bike lockers or bike hub, and bike-share docks: River Line terminus about 90 m from the Greenway: lockers inside the Polk St Garage above flood level by agreement, racks outside.
- Drop-off and paratransit loading zone: SteelStacks and Musikfest bring rideshare and pick-up demand; a cheap loading zone off the platform helps (space to confirm).
- Solar panels on the station canopy: Canopy in the energy plan; inverters above flood level, heritage views kept clear, HCC review if in the conservation district.
- Event queuing and bus staging space: Musikfest drew 23,811 cross-river rides in 2025, and Christkindlmarkt brings winter crowds. Plan temporary, lit, heated queue space nearby.
- Public art and heritage or geology display: Views to the blast furnaces and Hoover-Mason Trestle, and NMIH 424 m away, give real content. The museum has agreed to nothing.
- Driver restroom and break room: River Line terminus with 5-minute layovers over 18 hours, so drivers need a restroom from day one, above flood level.
- Rail-ready space reservation: On the protected rail-ready valley corridor: reserve platform length and keep the trackway clear. Space only; no rail now.
Maybe later here
- Terminal bus charger (overhead pantograph): River Line terminus with 5-minute layovers, but depot charging may cover its 21.5-minute cycle (to confirm). Equipment above flood level.
- Battery energy storage: For now a small UPS above flood level covers lights and screens; a battery only with an event-critical space above flood level.
- Food or coffee kiosk (partner-run): Just passes the footfall test (511 places, 202 trips). Event-day pop-ups for now; a permanent kiosk needs a partner.
- Small shop space: Footfall passes, but only in an existing street-level ground floor that can be leased (to confirm). Never below grade here.
- Water bottle filler: Greenway users and Musikfest crowds would use one, but only if existing water reaches the stop (to confirm), freeze-protected.
- Hospital and 24/7 shift-worker features: Wind Creek's 24/7 workforce transfers here to the Green Line; shift-timed late transfers depend on the Wind Creek test.
Not worth it here
- Heated, enclosed waiting room: Ground is 0.5-1.9 m below the 1942 crest (indicative): no ground-level room. Most Green Line transfers aren't timed, so heaters are required.
- Public restrooms: No permanent building on flood-exposed ground. On event days, check nearby venue or garage restrooms first, then temporary units.
- Staffed customer service: 202 trips is under the 300 bar; use temporary ambassadors on Musikfest and other big event days.
- Park-and-ride: The Polk St Garage (731 spaces) is already here; use it for event parking by owner agreement, with no new spaces.
- Community lounge or study nook: Open-air transfer platform with no enclosed space or host; the plan puts lounges at Downtown, Farrington and a gondola terminal.
- Equipment-lending lockers or package lockers: Ground-level lockers on flood-exposed ground are ruled out, no lending partner exists, and 760 buildings is under 1,000.
- Elevators (in pairs), only at level changes: The curbside platform on E 3rd St has no level change; grading handles the 0.36 m rise.
- Ground-source heat pumps (enclosed spaces only): No enclosed space to heat, plus flood exposure and karst ground.
- Snow-melt at the platform edge: Valley stop at 71.7 m on gentle grades (max 5.2%), so the snow and ice plan covers it.
- Regional and intercity bus bays: No intercity carrier stops here; Trans-Bridge uses the BTC and Wind Creek, and EBS already stops at SouthSide Station.
- Energy display with real solar and charging data: No charger and no live solar data until a canopy is built; the screen is needed for arrivals and event information.
- Public Wi-Fi and phone charging: Open-air stop with 10-minute service; ground-level equipment would face flooding, and screens cover the information need.
Every stop also gets the essentials. Ratings are the author's screening judgment from measured data, not a design or a commitment.