Ohio River Trail facts for kids

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Ohio River Trail Council

Formation	May 26, 2009
Type	Not-for-profit
Legal status	501(c)(3)-registered charity
Headquarters	Monaca, Pennsylvania
Website	Ohio River Trail Council

The Ohio River Trail is a cool project made up of two parts: the Ohio Water Trail and the Ohio River Greenway Trail. The Ohio River Greenway Trail (often called ORGT) is a planned path that will connect many existing trails. It will stretch across Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.

This big idea is led by the Ohio River Trail Council (ORTC). The ORTC is a group of volunteers who work as a non-profit organization. They get money from companies, foundations, and private donations. Their main goal is to build a trail along the Ohio River and its smaller rivers. This trail is meant for many different activities. The Council's main office is in Monaca, Pennsylvania.

History of the Ohio River Trail
What the Trails Will Be Like
Current Progress of the Trail
- Feasibility Studies and Funding
- National Park Service Support
See also

History of the Ohio River Trail

The idea for the Ohio River Trail started on January 2, 2009. It was planned with help from Doniele Andrus, Mario Leone Jr., and Dr. Vincent Troia.

On May 26, 2009, the Ohio River Trail Council (ORTC) officially began. Dr. Vincent Troia and Mario Leone started it. Their goal was to create a multi-use trail along the Ohio River. This trail would help towns along the river grow. It would also promote fun activities, health, and wellness. The trail aims to help with transportation, share cultural and historical facts, and offer education. It also supports charity, protects natural resources, and boosts local businesses.

Dr. Vincent Troia first thought of the trail and its connections. The ORTC started as a local effort. It joined a bigger movement to create greenways across the country. This movement began in 1987 when President Reagan suggested a national greenway network. Pennsylvania also started its own greenway program in 2001.

What the Trails Will Be Like

The Ohio River Greenway Trail is planned to start at the "Point of Beginning." This is where Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia meet. It will connect to other trails like the Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail. It will also link to the Beaver River Trail and the Montour Trail. From there, it can connect to the Three Rivers Heritage Trail in Pittsburgh. Eventually, it could reach the Great Allegheny Passage. This makes the ORT a very important link. It will connect trails from the Great Lakes region all the way to Washington, D.C..

The ORTC also wants the Ohio River Trail to be part of other big trail systems. This includes U.S. Bicycle Route System Route 50. It's also part of the Adventure Cycling Association Underground Railroad route. The area where the Ohio River Trail will be is also part of the National Park Service Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area.

Benefits of the Trail

The Ohio River Trail is designed to make life better for people. It will offer chances for exercise and fun activities. It can also be a way to travel between towns without a car. This helps reduce traffic and pollution. Plans are also being made to make the trail easy for people with disabilities to use.

The project will use old rail lines, bridges, and canal paths. These will be turned into public trails for many uses. A big focus is on showing off and protecting historical and cultural places along the trail. There are also plans for an Ohio River Trail Museum. The trail aims to help the areas around it become lively again.

Communities Along the Trail

The trail will go through 31 communities in Western Pennsylvania.

On the North Shore of the Ohio River, there are twelve communities. These include Glasgow, Ohioville, Midland, Industry, Vanport Township, Beaver, Bridgewater, Fallston, New Brighton, Rochester, and Rochester Township.

An extension on the North Shore adds eight more communities. These are Ambridge, Baden, Edgeworth, Freedom, Glen Osborne, Harmony Township, Leetsdale, and Sewickley. The Bradys Run Extension includes Patterson Township and Brighton Township.

On the South Shore of the Ohio River, there are ten communities. These are Monaca, Center Township, Aliquippa, Hopewell Township, South Heights, Crescent Township, Moon Township, Coraopolis, and Montour Junction. Neville Township is the tenth community, connecting over the Neville Island Bridge.

The Ohio River Water Trail

The Ohio River Trail Council has also planned the Ohio River Water Trail. This trail is for canoes, kayaks, and rowing boats. It provides places to get into the Ohio River and its smaller rivers. Currently, you can access Little Beaver Creek at Lock 57 Park in Ohioville. The Ohio River has access at Monaca. The Beaver River has access at Bridgewater and Rochester's Riverfront Park. The ORTC wants to build and install more places for boats. These places will have signs and storage racks for canoes and kayaks.

The entire project is expected to bring good things for the economy in Western Pennsylvania. It will create jobs in building and maintaining the trails. It will also boost tourism. This means more opportunities for things like rafting tours, bicycle sales and rentals, restaurants, and places to stay.

Current Progress of the Trail

The effort to build this trail has made great progress. This trail will eventually connect Lake Erie to Washington, D.C.. Vincent Troia and Mario Leone have shown their work to the public. They have received official support from communities in Beaver County. They are also getting similar support from communities in Allegheny County.

Feasibility Studies and Funding

A study to see if the South Shore trail is possible cost about $50,000. The ORTC, a not-for-profit organization, raised enough money for a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). This study was given to Stromberg, Garrigan & Associates. It took about six to ten months to finish. The South Shore feasibility study began on January 6, 2010, and was completed in March 2011. This study showed that the Ohio River South Shore Trail could be about 15.6 miles long. It would run from Monaca to the start of the Montour Trail.

On June 12, 2010, a special event called "Plant a Wish" happened. It took place at the "Point of Beginning." This project helped raise awareness for the Ohio River Trail. People from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia wrote wishes on paper. They buried these wishes under a newly planted tree. Everyone hoped this spot would be the start of a bike trail.

On July 28, 2010, the Council received a $10,000 grant. This money was from the Port of Pittsburgh Commission. It was used to develop water trails and build bike and canoe racks. These racks were placed in Rochester, Monaca, Bridgewater, and Ohioville.

The study for the North Shore trail cost about $56,000. On October 14, 2010, the Pennsylvania DCNR gave the Ohio River Trail a $29,000 grant for this study. The North Shore Feasibility Study started in January 2011.

On October 15, 2010, the ORTC and the Borough of Monaca, PA, received a $150,000 grant. This was from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This grant helps with planning to clean up old industrial sites. These sites are called "brownfields." Several towns joined this effort to rethink their future. They want to overcome the loss of factories and the brownfield areas left behind.

National Park Service Support

On October 25, 2010, the National Park Service (NPS) approved a grant for the Ohio River Trail Council. This grant provided technical help. For the next year, NPS staff helped the ORTC with the Feasibility Study. They also helped get more people involved in the project. Efforts were made to work with other trail groups. They also aimed to create a Tri-State Trail Alliance. This alliance would help all the smaller trails become part of a bigger system.

In 2011, the NPS helped with studies for both the Ohio River Water Trail and the Ohio River Land Trail. They also supported a big effort involving eighteen counties in three states. This effort aimed to link trails in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. On March 29, 2011, about 80 trail supporters met for a Tri-state Trail Alliance meeting. Another regional trails meeting happened on October 13, 2011. Both meetings supported the idea of linking trails in the tri-state area.

The National Park Service approved a second year of technical help for the ORTC on October 25, 2010. In 2012, NPS staff focused on finding a specific section of the Ohio River Land/Water Trail to develop. They also continued to oversee the Tri-State Trail Initiative. This initiative includes counties in Pennsylvania (Beaver, Crawford, Erie, Greene, Lawrence, Mercer, Washington), Ohio (Ashtabula, Belmont, Columbiana, Jefferson, Mahoning, Monroe, Trumbull), and West Virginia (Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio).

On December 5, 2011, the ORTC, Beaver County Planning Commission, and Midland held a public meeting. They discussed the study for a bike and walking trail on the north side of the Ohio River. This planned trail would connect to the South Shore Trail. It would then continue to the Ohio-West Virginia state line.