Trail along Kiski and Allegheny rivers to receive $3.5 million boost

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission has allotted up to $3.5 million for Armstrong Trails and Armstrong County to buy the Kiski Junction rail line corridor for a recreational trail.

Announced earlier this month, the funds are covered by SPC’s Transportation Improvement Program, which includes money from SPC and PennDOT, said Shannon O’Connell, SPC spokeswoman.

The 14-mile former rail line runs from Schenley in Gilpin Township to Manor Township and ATI’s Bagdad plant in Gilpin just outside of Leechburg. The new rails-to-trails project will connect to trails in the region and is a critical link in the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail.

The land acquisition is expected later this year. Final project costs are not available.

The new trail could open as soon as late 2022, depending on the weather, said Armstrong Trails Executive Director Chris Ziegler.

The Kiski Junction railroad was a short line that operated for more than 165 years for commercial hauling and tourist trips along the Kiski and Allegheny rivers. Rosebud Mining bought the railroad in 2006 and discontinued tourist runs in ’16. Rosebud ceased operations in recent years and has been working with federal agencies to legally shut down the railroad permanently.

County officials warned residents that the undeveloped trail is not yet open to the public and is still officially railroad property.

County Commissioner Secretary Pat Fabian, who also serves as vice chairman of the board of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, said the project is important as it showcases one of the county’s most treasured assets — the Allegheny River.

“I believe we are the only county with a major body of water running through it from top to bottom,” Fabian said. “Putting a trail along it will make it that much more attractive.”

The 14-mile Kiski Junction corridor will serve as a rails-to-trails project connecting 50.5 miles of trail at first.

The junction trail will connect to the Armstrong Trails in Rosston, Manor Township, near the confluence of Crooked Creek with the Allegheny River, and continue along the river for 36 miles to East Brady.

The mostly undeveloped route of the Kiski Junction corridor, along the Kiski and Allegheny rivers, is secluded but not too secluded, Ziegler noted.

“The Kiski junction rail corridor is a wild and wonderful stretch,” she said.

The trail will bring tourism dollars to the county, initially in the towns of Freeport, Ford City, Kittanning and Leechburg, said County Commissioner Vice Chairman Jason Renshaw.

“There is real potential here for the creation of jobs, as well as a likely increase in labor income and tax revenue,” said Don Myers, county commissioner chairman. “The additional link in the trail also adds a new level of marketing for attracting people to Armstrong County.”

In the Alle-Kiski Valley, the new Kiski Junction trail someday will link to other trails via the railroad bridge over the Kiski River, connecting to the Tredway Trail in Allegheny Township to Freeport and beyond.

The Armstrong Trails, which will own the bridge over the Kiski, must first recondition the span for pedestrian and bike traffic, Ziegler said.

The railroad bridge is structurally sound for foot traffic, she said. Ziegler is fast-tracking grant applications for that bridge project.

Weather permitting, the trail can be ready quickly after the sale, Ziegler said, because Rosebud already had installed new culvert pipes and kept up on drainage issues and maintenance. The trail organization will use crushed limestone for the trail surface.

The Kiski Junction corridor will be a critical link to many other trails, including the Baker, Rachel Carson, Rough Diamond Century, Roaring Run, Three Rivers Heritage, and Butler-Freeport Community trails.

These trails in turn are part of larger trail systems including the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail (270 miles), Pittsburgh to Harrisburg Mainline Greenway Canal (320 miles), and the multi-state Industrial Heartlands Trail (1,500 miles).