Study identifies potential east suburb path to connect Westmoreland, Allegheny trails

Allegheny County officials on Friday released a feasibility study for a project connecting the Westmoreland Heritage Trail to the Great Allegheny Passage by way of the Turtle Creek Valley, which runs through Pittsburgh’s east suburbs.

Several proposed routes could serve to link the Westmoreland Heritage Trail from its western terminus in Trafford’s B-Y Park to the GAP Trail across the Monongahela River from Rankin. Future rehabilitation of the Carrie Furnace Hot Metal Bridge would be the final piece connecting the trails, study officials said.

The cost of the connector trail is estimated between $9 and $25 million, depending on the final alignment.

“Completing this study was a critical first step in creating a trail that could be transformative for the Turtle Creek valley communities that need additional growth and investment,” said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “We know that trails can provide enormous economic, health and mobility benefits for the municipalities in which they are located.”

Evidence of that can be seen farther east along the Westmoreland Heritage Trail in Export, where new businesses and the revamping of the borough’s downtown area coincided with the opening of the trail’s fourth phase, which brought it from Murrysville to Export.

The feasibility study report contains preliminary design proposals for providing an on- and off‑road trail in Braddock, East Pittsburgh, Monroeville, North Braddock, Pitcairn, Rankin, Trafford, Turtle Creek and Wilmerding. The proposed trail also would pass closely to East McKeesport, North Versailles and Wall. It identifies multiple potential trail alignments through each community along with benefits, constraints and costs.

And while the study, underway since 2020, is just plans on paper at this point, Fitzgerald said it’s a critical step in the overall process.

“Having a road map for this effort is an important part of securing funding, and with support at the federal, state and local levels, I’m confident we can get this important project done and improve the quality of life for residents in and around the Turtle Creek Valley,” he said.

The study promotes the trail connector as a way to provide more options for not just those seeking exercise and a walk in nature, but also commuters.

“A multiuse trail could enhance the quality of transit service in the corridor by providing last-mile connections from bus stops to destinations,” the study reads. “Each Port Authority bus is equipped with a front-mounted bike rack that holds two bicycles, thereby extending the range of cyclist bus riders.”

There also are multiple efforts underway to preserve the natural landscape in and around the trails, including the creation of the Turtle Creek Greenway, a continuous, uninterrupted natural space between Duff Park in Murrysille and the western side of Trafford, and the Churchill Valley Greenway, an effort by the Allegheny Land Trust and Churchill residents to create green space on the site of the former Churchill Valley Country Club.

The $195,116 study was funded by the county and the Livability Through Smart Transportation Program, which utilizes federal money.