The Ohio River Trail is composed of two trails: The Ohio Water Trail and the Ohio River Greenway Trail. The Ohio River Greenway Trail (ORGT) is a proposed route that would interconnect existing trails in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.[1][2] The proposal is spearheaded by the Ohio River Trail Council (ORTC), a volunteer-led, non-profit organization.[3] The ORTC is an Internal Revenue Service registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization which relies on corporate, foundation, government, and private grants and donations to achieve its stated mission of creating a multi-use trail along the Ohio River and its tributaries. The Council is headquartered in Monaca, Pennsylvania.
The Ohio River Trail Project was conceptualized on January 2, 2009, in coordination with Beaver County Planning Commission's Shared Greenways & Environmental Planner Doniele Andrus; the Borough of Monaca Manager Mario Leone Jr;[4] and Dr. Vincent Troia.
The Trail and its proposed connections were conceived by Dr. Vincent Troia.
The Ohio River Trail Council began as a grass-roots effort to support a progressing state and national movement to develop greenways, especially since 1987 when President Reagan's Commission on "American Outdoors" recommended establishing a national greenways network. Pennsylvania's statewide greenways program was established by Governor Tom Ridge in 2001 to promote and support the greenway efforts occurring in all sixty-seven counties.
The Ohio River Trail is intended to improve the quality of life of its users by providing fitness and recreation opportunities. In addition, the ORT can serve as an alternative transportationcorridor between communities, as well as reducing vehicle congestion and pollution. Plans also exist to enable the disabled to comfortably make use of the trail.[7] The project includes the reallocation of abandoned rail corridors, bridges, interurban or trolley lines, and canal towpaths as public multi-use trails. An emphasis exists on showcasing and preserving historical and cultural sites along the trail, alongside the establishment of an Ohio River Trail Museum and endorsement of the revitalization of the surrounding area.
The Ohio River Trail Council has also proposed and developed the Ohio River Water Trail. The Ohio River Water Trail consists of canoe, kayak and rowing access to the Ohio River and its tributaries. Presently the Little Beaver Creek has access at Lock 57 Park in Ohioville, the Ohio River has access at Monaca, and the Beaver River has access at Bridgewater & Rochester's Riverfront Park. The ORTC supports the design, construction and the installation of a kayak and canoe launch site in these areas with amenities including signage and a canoe/kayak storage rack.
The project is expected to bring economic boons to Western Pennsylvania through the growth of the construction and maintenance industries, in addition to tourism-related opportunities such as rafting tours, bicycle sales and rentals, restaurants, and lodging.
Current status
The campaign to build the rail trail that will eventually link Lake Erie with Washington, D.C., via Beaver County[8] has progressed to the point that the organizers, Vincent Troia and Mario Leone, are prepared to display their work.[9] In an interview with Beaver County Times journalist Michael Pound regarding the status of the Ohio River Trail Project, the pair stated they have successfully solicited resolutions of support from the Beaver County communities,[10] through which the South Shore Trail would pass, and that they will soon have similar resolutions from the Allegheny County communities.
On January 6, 2010, the Ohio River Trail South Shore feasibility study began with a project steering committee meeting. The feasibility study for the south shore is expected to be completed in the spring of 2011 at a projected cost of $50,000.[12][13]
On June 12, 2010, the "Plant a Wish" project took place at the Point of Beginning. The project was intended to raise awareness of the Ohio River Trail effort, with participants from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia writing down their wishes on pieces of paper, which were then buried beneath the site of a newly planted tree.[14][15] It is hoped that the Point of Beginning will also host the beginning of a bike trail that would run up the Ohio River and conclude at Montour Creek.[16]
On July 28, 2010, the Council was awarded a $10,000 grant by the Port of Pittsburgh Commission[17] on the understanding that it will be used to develop blueways and build bike and canoe racks at points in Rochester, Monaca, Bridgewater, and Ohioville.[18][19][20]
The cost of the North Shore feasibility study is estimated at $56,000. On October 14, 2010, the Pennsylvania DCNR awarded the Ohio River Trail a $29,000 grant for the North Shore Feasibility Study. The North Shore Feasibility Study began in January 2011.[21]
On October 15, 2010 the Ohio River Trail Council (ORTC) and its partner the Borough of Monaca, PA along with three of its partner municipalities, Aliquippa, Coraopolis and Midland has received a grant for a $150,000 United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Program Grant and Assistance to advance our ongoing regional brownfields revitalization. These municipalities have joined to undertake a grass-roots effort to re-think the future of our communities as a way to overcome the loss of a major portion of our manufacturing base and the post-industrial brownfields legacy that remains from that loss.[22][23][24][25]
On October 25, 2010, the National Park Service (NPS) Rivers, Trails, and Conservation (RTCA) Program approved an application for a technical assistance grant for the Ohio River Trail Council. Over the next year, the NPS Rivers & Trails staff will assist the ORTC with the completion of a Feasibility Study and to expand public involvement in the project.[26] Efforts are underway to communicate and collaborate with other trail groups, and to establish a Tri-State Trail Alliance in order to increase visibility and success of each smaller trail component of a greater linking trail system. The National Park Service is proud to support such a capable partner and eager to help contribute to the ORT Initiative. Through the RTCA Program, the NPS helps communities and neighborhoods improve their important local resources, protect river resources, develop new trails and greenways and create and manage open space.[27][28][29][30][31][32]
"In September of 2010, a planning grant was awarded to the Friends of the Riverfront to begin an effort to connect the Three Rivers Heritage Trail from the City of Pittsburgh to Coraopolis. This eight mile segment will traverse through the City of Pittsburgh, McKees Rocks, Stowe Township, Moon Township, Neville Township and Coraopolis. This effort will complement the work of the Ohio River Trail Council and Lawrence and Beaver Counties, which have completed trail feasibility work outside of Allegheny County. Once feasibility work from the City of Pittsburgh to Coraopolis is complete, we will have a good understanding of the opportunity for trail development along the Ohio River all the way to Ohio. In Ohio, groups are working to connect to our trail here in Pennsylvania. You will see a lot more activity along the Ohio River in 2011."[33][verification needed]
The South Shore Feasibility Study which began on Jan 6, 2010, was completed in March 2011. The resultant Ohio River South Shore Trail is approximately 15.6 miles from Monaca to the beginning of the Montour Trail.
In 2011, the first year of assistance from the NPS, the RTCA assisted with the development of the Ohio River Water Trail and the Ohio River Land Trail feasibility studies. In addition, the RTCA supported the ORTC in a multi-state effort, which included eighteen counties in three states to link a system of trails in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. On March 29, 2011 a Tri-state Trail Alliance meeting of 80 trail advocates and on October 13, 2011 a regional trails meeting hosted by the Power of 32 occurred to support the vision of linking a system of trails in the tri-state area.
On October 25, 2010, the National Park Service (NPS) Rivers, Trails, and Conservation (RTCA) Program awarded a second year of technical assistance to the Ohio River Trail Council.[34] In 2012, the NPS Rivers & Trails staff will focus on identifying an on-the-ground section of the Ohio River Land/Water Trail to develop and continue the oversight for the Tri-State Trail Initiative.
On October 26, 2011 the National Park Service approved the Ohio River Trail Council's application for a second year of technical assistance from the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program. In the first year of assistance, RTCA assisted the Ohio River Trail Council (ORTC) with the development of the Ohio River Water Trail and the Ohio River Land Trail Feasibility Studies. In addition, the RTCA helped coordinate the March 29, 2011 Tri-state Trail Alliance meeting of about 80 trail advocates, and the October 13, 2011 regional trails meeting hosted by the Power of 32, to support the vision of linking a system of trails in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In 2012, the NPS Rivers & Trails staff will focus on identifying an on-the-ground section of the Ohio River Land/Water Trail to develop, and continue the oversight for the Tri-State Trail Initiative, a multi-state effort which includes eighteen counties in three states. The Pennsylvania counties include Beaver, Crawford, Erie, Greene, Lawrence, Mercer and Washington.[36][37] The Ohio Counties include Ashtabula, Belmont, Columbiana, Jefferson, Mahoning, Monroe and Trumbull. The West Virginia counties include Brooke, Hancock, Marshall and Ohio.
On December 5, 2011 the Ohio River Trail Council, Beaver County Planning Commission and Midland hosted a public hearing regarding the feasibility study of a bicycle and pedestrian trail along the north side of the Ohio River. The proposed trail would connect with the planned Ohio River South Shore Trail at the Monaca-Rochester Bridge and continue to the Ohio-West Virginia state line.[38]
Allegheny County is a county in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, after Philadelphia County. Its county seat and most populous city is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's second most populous city. Allegheny County is the center of the Pittsburgh, PA metropolitan statistical area and the Pittsburgh media market.
Beaver County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,215. Its county seat is Beaver, and its largest city is Aliquippa.
Coraopolis is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 5,559 at the 2020 census.
Clairton is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located along the Monongahela River and is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 6,181 at the 2020 census. Under Pennsylvania legal classifications for local governments, Clairton is considered a third-class city. It is home to Clairton Works operated by U.S. Steel, the largest coke manufacturing facility in the United States.
Jefferson Hills is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 12,424. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
Moon Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 27,261 at the 2020 census. Located 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Pittsburgh, the township is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and is home to Pittsburgh International Airport.
Neville Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its land area consists entirely of Neville Island, which is an island on the Ohio River. The population was 1,108 at the 2020 census.
Sewickley is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, 12 miles (19 km) west northwest of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. It is a residential suburb of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 3,907 at the 2020 census. The Sewickley Bridge crosses the Ohio River from Sewickley to Moon Township.
Center Township is a township in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 11,649. It is a suburban community located approximately 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Pittsburgh. It is home to two colleges, Penn State Beaver and Community College of Beaver County. Center Township is also a retail center for Beaver County, home to the Beaver Valley Mall.
Robinson Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, approximately 12 miles (19 km) west of Pittsburgh. The population was 15,503 at the 2020 census. Home to Robinson Town Centre, Settlers Ridge and The Mall at Robinson, the township serves as a retail hub for the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
The Montour Railroad was a short line railroad company operating passenger and freight service in southwestern Pennsylvania. At its height in the 1930s, the railroad served 27 mines transporting nearly seven million tons of coal annually in Allegheny and Washington Counties.
The Montour Trail is a multi-use recreational rail trail near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was formerly the Montour Railroad.
Greater Pittsburgh is the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Pittsburgh in Western Pennsylvania, United States. The region includes Allegheny County, Pittsburgh's urban core county and economic hub, and seven adjacent Pennsylvania counties: Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland in Western Pennsylvania, which constitutes the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area MSA as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Pennsylvania Route 576 (PA Turnpike 576), also known as the Southern Beltway, is a controlled-access toll road in the southern and western suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is envisioned to serve as a southern beltway around the Greater Pittsburgh area between Pittsburgh International Airport and the historic Steel Valley of the Monongahela River.
Allegheny Islands State Park is a 43-acre (17 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Harmar Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The undeveloped park is composed of three alluvial islands located in the middle of the Allegheny River northeast of Pittsburgh. The islands are just north of the boroughs of Oakmont and Plum, and southwest of Cheswick. Bridges for the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad Branch of the Canadian National Railway cross the Allegheny River at the middle island.
Pennsylvania Route 51 is a major state highway that is located in Western Pennsylvania in the United States. It runs for 89 miles (143 km) from Uniontown to the Ohio state line near Darlington, where it connects with Ohio State Route 14.
Chartiers Creek is a tributary of the Ohio River in Western Pennsylvania in the United States. The creek was named after Peter Chartier, a trapper of French and Native American parentage who established a trading post at the mouth of the creek in 1743.
Coraopolis station is a disused train station in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. The train station was built in 1896 by the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, and designed by architects Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge in Richardsonian Romanesque style.
The Ohio River Water Trail navigates the counties of Allegheny, Beaver, Columbiana, and Hancock in the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The trail is under the stewardship of the Ohio River Trail Council. The water trail or blueway geographically extends from the Three Rivers Water Trail in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Newell, West Virginia, and East Liverpool, Ohio. The 69-mile Ohio River Water Trail (ORWT) includes 13 miles of the Ohio River along the Three Rivers Water Trail from "The Point" in Pittsburgh at milepost zero downstream to the Dashields Lock and Dam at milepost 13, 33 miles of the Ohio River from Dashields Dam at milepost 13, downstream to Newell at milepost 46.0, 16 miles of the Little Beaver Creek to Beaver Creek State Park, three miles of the Beaver River to the Townsend (Fallston) Dam, and four miles of the Raccoon Creek.
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