Montour Trail

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Montour Trail

The Montour Trail between miles 3 and 4,
photo taken March 2006
Length 59.3 mi (95.4 km)
Location Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA
Trailheads Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
40°30′17″N 80°08′42″W / 40.5048°N 80.1450°W / 40.5048; -80.1450 (Montour Trail, Coraopolis trailhead)
Clairton, Pennsylvania
40°18′18″N 79°53′02″W / 40.3051°N 79.8838°W / 40.3051; -79.8838 (Montour Trail, Clairton trailhead)
Use Multi-use
Hiking details
Trail difficulty Easy
Season Year-round
Sights see Points of Interest below

The Montour Trail is a multi-use recreational rail trail near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

It has a crushed limestone surface, appropriate for bicycling, walking, running, and cross-country skiing. Eventually, this trail segment will extend 47 miles (76 km) from Coraopolis, Pennsylvania to Clairton, Pennsylvania.

The trail is part of a 204-mile (328 km) rails to trails project between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Maryland. When completed, it will be part of a 400-mile (640 km) trail system between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C, known as the Great Allegheny Passage.

Connecting Trails

  • Panhandle Trail: The Montour Trail crosses over the Panhandle Trail on the McDonald Trestle. The Montour-Panhandle connector trail is approximately 1.1 miles (1.8 km) long and connects the two trails. The Panhandle stretches 29 miles (47 km) between Carnegie, PA, and Weirton, WV. The last unfinished section between Joffre and Burgettstown was finished in August 2008, and the trail is now complete.
  • Ohio River Trail: This proposed trail will connect the Montour Trail to the Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway in Ohio. When completed the trail will be an important link in a mega-trail system from the Great Lakes Region to Washington, D.C.

Points of interest

  • McDonald Viaduct (Trestle): Formerly used by the Montour Railroad, the 960-foot (290 m) long trestle reopened in 2003. It spans over Noblestown Road, Robinson Run, the Panhandle Trail and John's Avenue in Washington County, PA.
  • Library Trestle: This 506-foot (154 m) railroad trestle over Library Rd. (PA 88) in South Park was also formerly used by the Montour Railroad, until its incorporation into the trail. It is currently closed due to a lack of pavement and guardrails, with plans to renovate it for trail use in the near future.
  • West Peters Trail Area: This approximately two-mile section in Peters Township, PA of trail holds four amazing sites: the Greer Tunnel, two bridges directly adjacent to the tunnel, and the X-1 railroad service crane, a former working crane for the Montour Railroad. One of the bridges adjacent to the Greer Tunnel is the Chartiers Creek High Bridge, the highest bridge on the trail. A working railroad line also crosses directly under the trail in this area.

The Organization

The Montour Trail is managed and maintained by The Montour Trail Council (MTC). The MTC is a non-profit all-volunteer group which builds, operates, and maintains the trail. It is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation, relying on corporate, foundation and government grants and private donations for funding.

Branches

The Montour Trail has four branches: Bethel, Muse, Westland, and the Airport Connector. The Bethel Branch extends from the trail in Peters Township into Bethel Park. The Muse Branch is a planned, undeveloped branch in Cecil Township that goes to the town of Muse. The Westland Branch is a branch that extends from the trail in Venice to the town of Westland. The Airport Connector is a branch of the trail that goes from the mainline trail in Imperial to Pittsburgh International Airport. The Connector does not follow any of the Montour Railroad grade, rather it follows roads to the airport.

In December 2010 MarkWest Energy announced plans to lease the Westland Branch right of way from the Montour Trail Council for 30 years. The branch was redeveloped as a combination trail and railroad operated by the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway to serve MarkWest's Westland natural gas processing plant. Construction was completed and the branch began operation in August 2012.[1][2][3][4]

References

  1. MTC Announces Westland Branch Plans with MarkWest, Montour Trail Council, January–February 2011, retrieved September 14, 2012 
  2. Schmitz, Jon (March 29, 2012). "Firm to build Montour Trail section in return for land use". Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA). Retrieved September 14, 2012. 
  3. Campbell, Cristie (August 21, 2012). "Taking the Tracks". Observer-Reporter (Washington, PA). Retrieved September 14, 2012. 
  4. Santoni, Matthew (December 28, 2010). "Energy company offers to extend Montour Trail". Tribune Review (Pittsburgh, PA). Retrieved September 14, 2012. 

External links

Coordinates: 40°19′05″N 80°13′41″W / 40.3181°N 80.2281°W / 40.3181; -80.2281

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.