A recreational trails group wants to create a hiking and biking trail that will connect Irwin with Larimer in North Huntingdon and is seeking a $35,000 state grant for a feasibility study for the project.
The Friends of Norwin Trails Inc. won approval from Irwin Borough Council on March 12 for a letter of support that the trails group can submit with its application to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for of a feasibility study for the proposed Trolley Line Trail.
If the Norwin trails group gets the grant from the Community Conservation Program Partnership, which supports parks and recreation, the study would not start until 2026 because of the timelines for the funding, said Dan Korhnak, president and co-founder of the nonprofit volunteer trails group based in Larimer.
Once started, the study probably would be completed within a few months, Korhnak said.
“During that time, there would be public input meetings to solicit feedback,” Korhnak said.
The proposed study would look at different route options for the Trolley Line Trail from Irwin to Larimer, which would be about 1½ miles in length, Korhnak said.
The trail would follow the route of the former Pittsburg, McKeesport and Greensburg trolley line that ran from Irwin to Trafford for about 40 years from the early 1900s to the 1940s.
While most of the proposed Trolley Line Trail would be in North Huntingdon, connecting Irwin with Larimer would be a way of bringing more people and business to downtown Irwin, where they could patronize stores, Korhnak said.
To get into Irwin, the long-closed First Avenue Bridge near Irwin’s public works building could serve as a site for crossing Tinker’s Run, a polluted stream that flows into Brush Creek at the Irwin-North Huntingdon border.
Seeking state funding to repair the bridge is part of a long list of projects for the borough to tackle, said Shari Martino, borough manager.
If money is not available to repair the First Avenue Bridge, Korhnak said it may be possible to have a pedestrian bridge built over the shallow creek that divides North Huntingdon from Irwin.
The Trolley Line Trail would run adjacent to the north side of the Hilltop Park in North Huntingdon, which would allow for a connection to the park, the Friends of Norwin Trails said. The organization is in talks with the owner of the four-acre swath of land that would be the most accessible route from the park to the proposed trail. If it can acquire the property, it would allow for two miles of hiking and biking trails in the park.
To acquire property, the trails group is considering a state Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program grant that requires a 15% match.
The North Huntingdon commissioners will consider providing support for the trails group’s application for state funds, when the board meets on March 19, said Harry Faulk, township commissioner.
The trail group also is seeking $2,275 grant from the conservation and natural resources department for tools to be used for trail maintenance and a metal container to hold the tools that would be stored at Braddock’s Trail Park at the end of Robbins Station Road in North Huntingdon.
Norwin Trails wants to buy a two-foot-by-five-foot-by-30-inch deep job box for $1,100. It wants to purchase about $200 worth of tools and $150 worth of cables and locks to secure the box. The grant requires $455 in matching funds from the recipient.
The Norwin trails group wants to form a regional transportation committee composed of representatives from Irwin, North Huntingdon and North Irwin, along with the Norwin School District.
Anyone wanting to submit a letter of support for the state grant can do so by contacting friends@norwintrails.org, Korhnak said.