HAPPY TRAILS
Westmoreland Heritage Trail expands along Turtle Creek.
By Jennifer Brozak
T
hanks to a state grant and generous
local contributions, construction has
begun on a new, 5.6-mile addition to
the Westmoreland Heritage Trail.
The addition, which is locally known as
Turtle Creek Rail Trail Project, will link
Murrysville, Monroeville, Penn Township
and Trafford with an off-road hiking
and biking trail. The new section will
begin at a new trailhead near B-Y Park in
Trafford and end at the newly dedicated
“Robert’s Parcel” near Duff Park in
Murrysville, according to Jeffrey Richards,
Westmoreland County’s parks planning
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coordinator. The Turtle Creek extension
is the third phase of this extensive
project, and will add nearly 6 miles of
development; a fourth phase will include a
3.4-mile trail that connects Murrysville to
Export.
“We’re excited for this next phase to
begin,” says Richards. “It’s going to become
a great family-friendly trail.”
The new section follows the corridor
of the former Turtle Creek Industrial
Railroad, which Westmoreland County
acquired in November. The railroad ties
and steel rails have been removed, and
construction on the trail is expected to
begin in the spring of 2017. Right now, the
trail is accessible to residents and can be
used on an “at-your-own-risk” basis.
Funding for the construction project
came in the form of a $500,000 state grant
from the Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources, which was awarded
in January. This funding will be added
to $1.8 million in grant money from the
Pennsylvania Transportation Alternatives
Program, the Southwest Pennsylvania
Commission and PennDOT. Local
donations, including those secured during
Westmoreland County’s annual March for
Parks, also supplement the project.
“The Turtle Creek Rail Trail is
envisioned as a lateral spine of a