Great Allegheny Passage

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Along the Great Allegheny Passage, near Milepost 100
Along the Great Allegheny Passage, near Milepost 100
Frostburg trailhead, from top of access trail
Frostburg trailhead, from top of access trail

The Great Allegheny Passage is a rail trail in Maryland and Pennsylvania.

The multi-use trail is suitable for biking and walking foot trail and occupies an abandoned railroad corridor that stretched for 150 miles (240 km) from Cumberland, Maryland to Point State Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a 52-mile (84 km) branch to the Pittsburgh International Airport.

This trail also connects with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath trail, which runs for an additional 185 miles (298 km) between Cumberland, Maryland and Washington, DC.

The first section of the Great Allegheny Passage was a 9-mile (14 km) stretch near Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania which opened in 1986.[1]

Contents

[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 25 (40.2) 12 (19.3) 37 (59.6)
Steel Valley Trail 4 (6.4) 10 (16) 14 (22.4)
Montour Trail 40 (64.4) 6 (9.7) 46 (74.0)
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 (14 km) section between Woodcock Hollow and Cumberland opened on December 13, 2006.[3] 130 miles (210 km) 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 occurred on September 15, 2006.[4] As part of the project, a new concrete deck and lighting were installed. A switchback ramp was built on the south side of the bridge to connect to the trails there and a new span was erected over Second Avenue to link the bridge to the Eliza Furnace Trail. The project officially opened on November 28, 2007.[5] [6] [7]

Work also is continuing on sections of the Montour Trail, a 46-mile (74 km) trail that when completed will link Coraopolis and Clairton. More than 40 miles (64 km) of the trail are finished, but there are significant gaps, the largest of which in Cecil and Peters townships is 2 miles (3.2 km) long. A ground-breaking ceremony on that section was held Oct. 22, 2006.[8]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Thomson, Candus. "Trail's opening eyed as path to prosperity", The Baltimore Sun, 2006-12-13, pp. 2. Retrieved on 2006-12-20. 
  2. ^ Allegheny Trail Alliance's Trail Status web page, retrieved October 28, 2006
  3. ^ "New bike path portion open for business in Maryland", The Washington Times, 2006-12-15. Retrieved on 2006-12-20. 
  4. ^ Great Allegheny Passage Trail Status - October 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-21.
  5. ^ Belko, Mark. "South Side riverfront park, bike-walk bridge now under way", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2006-10-27. Retrieved on 2006-12-21. 
  6. ^ "Hot Metal Pedestrian Bridge to officially open", Pittsburgh Business Times, 2007-11-13. Retrieved on 2007-11-19. 
  7. ^ Walsh, Lawrence. "Put the pedal to the Hot Metal: Bridge across Mon opens at last", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2006-11-29. Retrieved on 2007-12-29. 
  8. ^ Walsh, Lawrence. "Bicycle trail now connects to Maryland", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2006-12-15. Retrieved on 2006-12-21. 

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Hiking Trails in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States of America

202 • Appalachian • Baker • Black Forest • Brandywine • Bucktail Path • Chester Valley • Chuck Keiper • Conestoga • Cresheim • Cross County • Darlington • Donut Hole • Evansburg • Forbes Road • GAP • GET • Glacier Ridge • Golden Eagle • Horse Shoe • Joseph P. Saylor • Laurel Highlands • Liberty Bell • Lost Turkey • Lower • Loyalsock • Mason-Dixon • Mill Creek • Montour • North Country • Old Loggers Path • Mid-State • Pennypack • Perkiomen • Pinchot • Power Line • Quebec Run • Quehanna • Rachel Carson • Rock Run • Schuylkill East • Schuylkill River • Standing Stone • Struble Trail • Susquehannock • Tanbark • Terrace Mountain • Thunder Swamp • Tuscarora • Valley Forge • Warrior • West County • West Rim • Wissahickon • Youghiogheny River