Armstrong Trails lands $710,000 grant for design of Kiski River railroad bridge

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources awarded $710,000 to Armstrong Trails to design the renovation of the old railroad bridge over the Kiski River in the village of Schenley in Gilpin.

Earlier this year, Armstrong County landed a $3.5 million state grant to buy the Kiski Junction Railroad line and its bridge to turn it into a recreational trail along the Kiski and Allegheny rivers.

The new trail, part of Armstrong Trails, and its railroad bridge will connect to Allegheny Township, Freeport and other areas for 130-plus miles of continuous, off-road, ADA-compliant trails in Armstrong, Allegheny, Butler, Clarion and Westmoreland counties.

It also will connect to the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail.

“This will be a good place to stop and see railroad history,” Chris Ziegler, executive director of Armstrong Trails, said Wednesday as she pressure-washed a ramp to a cherry red 1943 railroad engine permanently parked next to an old train station.

The train station, just outside the Schenley Industrial Park entrance, will serve as a stop and rest area for cyclists, walkers and history buffs. The site is about 11 trail miles from Kittanning and Ford City, about 5 miles from Leechburg and 4 miles from Freeport, she said.

The preservation of the train station and engine will “help community and economic development and also preserve the history of the railroad as best as we can,” said Mindy Knappenberger, 67, of West Franklin, a volunteer with Armstrong Trails.

The railroad bridge sits within sight of the train station. The railroad bridge will connect the future 14-mile recreational trail across the Kiski River to Allegheny Township to meet the Wynn and Clara Tredway Trail to the Freeport Bridge.

Currently, the railroad bridge is closed.

Related:

• $3.5M purchase of bridge, rail line, opens path to Armstrong trail expansion

• Armstrong Trails explores converting 14-mile Kiski Junction Railroad into a recreational trail

• No plans for return of Kiski Junction Railroad’s scenic train excursions

The black iron structure, built in 1899, needs work to convert it into a trail bridge, which emergency vehicles should be able to access when it’s completed. Ziegler estimates project costs at $800,000 to add decking and railings and $1.2 million to repair the bridge’s superstructure and substructure.

She is pursuing grants from the state and federal government, as well as donations from foundations. The grant money for the trail and bridge project so far has come from government grants available just for trails, she said.

After some improvements are completed, the bridge could open to pedestrian and bike traffic as early as late 2023, depending on grant funding and the availability of materials, Ziegler said.

County officials are working with the trail group to install a short span, known as a flyover bridge, above live Norfolk Southern railroad tracks on the Allegheny Township side of the railroad bridge. Ziegler and officials are exploring the project requirements and funding.

The trail organization will throw a public party celebrating Armstrong County’s acquisition of the railroad and the new trail on Friday, Oct. 21, at the train station in Schenley.