Missing links that will enable expansion of the 33-mile Three Rivers Heritage Trail are starting to fall into place like dominoes, organizers said.
Work at Brackenridge Memorial Park will begin this spring on a quarter-mile path that will provide connections to planned trails in Harrison and Tarentum.
“These connections are important as we continue to move up the Allegheny Valley,” said Courtney Mahronich Vita, director of trail development for Friends of the Riverfront.
Her group oversees the trail, which runs through numerous municipalities along both sides of the Allegheny, Ohio and Monongahela rivers.
“Even though the Brackenridge portion is shorter, it’s a great place to take a quick walk, teach your kids how to ride a bike or get out and connect with the environment,” she said.
It comes on the heels of a project that saw a half-mile pavement trail constructed along First Avenue, from Mile Lock Lane to Morgan Street.
The two sections will be connected by a wooden footbridge that spans Brackenridge’s water intake well near Morgan Street.
Cost of the second phase of construction was included in the $450,000 project total.
“This trail is a sign that we are making progress on the multi-municipal comprehensive plan that Brackenridge, Harrison and Tarentum all adopted in 2020,” Mayor Lindsay Fraser said.
That process identified four key issues for the communities to work on together, Fraser said, including trails, parks and recreation.
“Improving our natural resources and outdoor recreational opportunities benefits our current residents and supports more creative development opportunities in the future,” Fraser said.
According to the nonprofit Friends, there were about 1.3 million visits to the Heritage trail in 2023. It generated $26.5 million in total economic impact, according to a yearlong analysis by Pittsburgh-based consulting firm Fourth Economy.
Work at the park is expected to start in May. A formal opening is eyed for June.
The trail will be built within the borough’s park, parallel to First Avenue . It will run from Morgan to Cherry streets. Work is dependent on the weather.
Vita said her group is working with the borough to replace several large trees that were removed last year in the park.
“We’re excited,” she said. “This fills in another link. These projects take a long time, but they’re a real benefit.”
Councilman Dino Lopreiato hopes people will keep their frustration at bay if the park appears to be in disarray during construction.
“I want to stress that people shouldn’t judge,” he said. “After, it will be landscaped with flowering trees and a split-rail fence, similar to the upper half. The new trail will be nice.”