Great Allegheny Passage
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The Great Allegheny Passage is a bicycle and foot trail currently under construction that will run for 150 miles (240 km) from Cumberland, Maryland to Point State Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a 52-mile (83 km) branch to the Pittsburgh International Airport. This rail trail connects with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath trail, which runs for an additional 185 miles (296 km) between Cumberland and Washington, DC. The first section of the Great Allegheny Passage - a nine-mile stretch at Ohiopyle, PA. - opened in 1986.[1]
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[edit] Trail development
The Allegheny Trail Alliance is a group of seven trail organizations who have joined together to bring this trail to completion. The affiliated trails and the lengths of their trails are:
| Trail | Completed Mileage (km)[2] |
Mileage Underway (km) |
Total Mileage (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Rivers Heritage Trail | 1.5 (2.4) | 5 (8) | 6.5 (10.4) |
| Steel Valley Trail | 4 (6.4) | 10 (16) | 14 (22.4) |
| Montour Trail | 40 (64.4) | 7 (11.3) | 47 (75.7) |
| Youghiogheny River Trail, North | 43 (68.8) | 0 | 43 (68.8) |
| Youghiogheny River Trail, South | 28 (44.8) | 0 | 28 (44.8) |
| Allegheny Highlands Trail in Pennsylvania | 41 (66.0) | 0 | 41 (66.0) |
| Allegheny Highlands Trail in Maryland | 21 (33.7) | 0 | 21 (33.8) |
| Great Allegheny Trail total | 200.5 (320.8) | ||
| At Cumberland the ATA system connects with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath | |||
| C&O Canal Towpath | 184.5 (295.4) | 0 | 184.5 (295.4) |
| Total including C & O Canal | 385.0 (616.0) | ||
[edit] Construction plans
The 9 mile section between Woodcock Hollow and Cumberland opened on December 13, 2006.[3] 130 miles of continuous trail are now open from McKeesport, Pennsylvania to Cumberland, Maryland. Trail work remains near Pittsburgh and McKeesport.
Ground breaking for the conversion of the Hot Metal Bridge for pedestrian/bike use began on September 15, 2006.[4] As part of the project, a new concrete deck and lighting will be installed. A switchback ramp will be built on the south side of the bridge to connect to the trails there and a new span will be erected over Second Avenue to link the bridge to the Eliza Furnace Trail. The project is scheduled for completion in fall of 2007.[5]
Work also is continuing on sections of the Montour Trail, a 46-mile trail that when completed will link Coraopolis and Clairton. More than 40 miles of the trail are finished, but there are significant gaps, the largest of which in Cecil and Peters townships is two miles long. A ground-breaking ceremony on that section was held Oct. 22, 2006.[6]
[edit] Reference
- ^ Thomson, Candus. "Trail's opening eyed as path to prosperity", The Baltimore Sun, 2006-12-13, pp. 2. Retrieved on December 20, 2006.
- ^ Allegheny Trail Alliance's Trail Status web page, retrieved October 28, 2006
- ^ "New bike path portion open for business in Maryland", The Washington Times, 2006-12-15. Retrieved on December 20, 2006.
- ^ Great Allegheny Passage Trail Status - October 2006. Retrieved on December 21, 2006.
- ^ Belko, Mark. "South Side riverfront park, bike-walk bridge now under way", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2006-10-27. Retrieved on December 21, 2006.
- ^ Walsh, Lawrence. "Bicycle trail now connects to Maryland", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2006-12-15. Retrieved on December 21, 2006.
[edit] See also
- Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
- Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
- Montour Trail
- Youghiogheny River Trail
- List of rail trails
[edit] External links
- Allegheny Trial Alliance - comprehensive GAP web site
- Three Rivers Heritage Trail web site
- Steel Valley Trail
- Youghiogheny River Trail
- Pennsylvania DNR Rail Trail web page
- Allegheny Highlands Trail in Maryland
- U.S. National Park Service, C&O Canal Towpath web page
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