Plans for a proposed trail in Cheswick are expected to step off by April.

Friends of the Riverfront will use input from a public hearing in early February to make final revisions to the borough’s trail segment.

Designs are expected to be ready for review in April.

About 40 people turned out to the Cheswick Volunteer Fire Department to view designs of the 1-mile trail, which will stretch from Rachel Carson Park to the Harmar border.

“We have a long way to go, but this is an exciting first step on making the Cheswick portion of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail a reality,” council member Brad Yaksich said.

“Although our section of the trail is small, I think we can make something very special that we can all be very proud of.”

The Cheswick segment is proposed to run along the riverfront.

Cost estimates have not been released.

Friends of the Riverfront is a nonprofit that oversees the larger, 33-mile Three Rivers Heritage Trail.

Last year, borough officials spent $32,000 for Gibson-Thomas Engineering of Wexford to complete the design and preliminary engineering.

Engineer Dave King was on hand at the hearing to explain plans and answer questions. As proposed, the trail segment will connect with the trail in Springdale and potentially use South Duquesne Avenue and the private railroad crossing there. The route will pass through Rachel Carson Park and then continue through the commercial district.

The trail someday will be part of the larger, developing Erie to Pittsburgh Trail that, when complete, will connect 270 miles of paths in Western Pennsylvania.

Courtney Mahronich Vita, Friends’ director of trail development, said community feedback is key to a successful project.

The hearing was productive, she said, noting some people were concerned about having the alternate route along Spruce Street.

That path, up Cheswick Avenue and across Spruce Street, would be used if the riverfront is flooded and also as a community connection to get residents from above Pittsburgh Street safely to the park.

“With this, it was proposed to add sidewalks along Spruce Street to accommodate pedestrians,” Mahronich Vita said. “There were concerns about future maintenance and proximity to people’s homes.”

She said Friends will forgo constructing the sidewalks at this point.

“The general plan was well-received,” Yaksich added.

The Cheswick section of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail has been in the works since 2011, when Friends began working with Allegheny County and the 16 municipalities of the Allegheny Valley to extend the path to Freeport.

“The trail along the riverfront is the ideal goal, and we continue having conversations with private landowners along the riverfront,” Mahronich Vita said.

“As with all of our projects, the trail is a reflection of the community and what the community desires.”

Tawnya Panizzi is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tawnya by email at tpanizzi@triblive.com or via Twitter .