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 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
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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-yourown-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 community trail
network,” says Betsy Aiken, chair of the
Murrysville Trail Alliance, which works to
advance opportunities for recreational trail
use in Murrysville. “We’re thrilled about the
progress being made.”