Easton/College Hill Escarpment Hike – Bike Trail and Historic Step Refurbishment

Update: Safety lighting depicted in revised College Hill escarpment renderings

(Updated July 13, 2023) — The design firm for the College’s Easton/College Hill escarpment multimodal trail and historic step refurbishment has now made updated renderings available. They provide a depiction of the lighting plan to help create a safer and more direct pathway for students, employees, neighbors, and visitors to travel between campus and downtown Easton. The updated renderings also show portions of the proposed reforestation plan. The College and the City of Easton are collaborating on ideal locations on and around campus for the new trees. The plans do not include an illuminated Lafayette College sign, which the College intends to redesign after hearing the concerns of community residents during the open meeting on June 2. The College hopes to share other options for that signage with community members later this year. 

Work on the escarpment project remains on schedule and is expected to be completed by late August. The dedication ceremony is being planned for late September, and details will be announced when they are finalized.

Supported by a grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Multimodal Transportation Fund, the escarpment project will make substantial improvements to the pedestrian pathway that connects downtown Easton with the College Hill neighborhood, including by reconditioning the historic stairs that serve as the primary city-campus transition. 

In addition, Lafayette is constructing a new walking and bicycling trail between the Karl Stirner Arts Trail and South College Drive (near the intersection with McCartney Street). As part of this project, about 1,100 feet of new trail will be constructed, creating a six-foot-wide pathway, and about 650 feet of existing trail will be replaced. In addition to safety lighting, amenities will include new seating areas and locations for displaying artwork.

When completed, these projects will improve safe pedestrian access to and from campus throughout the year and reduce reliance on motor vehicles.