Ohio River Trail facts for kids
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| Formation | May 26, 2009 |
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| 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 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 help from donations and special grants to build a trail along the Ohio River and its smaller rivers. This trail is for many uses, like walking, biking, and more. The main office for the Council is in Monaca, Pennsylvania.
Contents
How the Trail Started
The idea for the Ohio River Trail began on January 2, 2009. It was first thought up by Doniele Andrus from the Beaver County Planning Commission, Mario Leone Jr. (the manager of Monaca), and Dr. Vincent Troia.
On May 26, 2009, Dr. Vincent Troia and Mario Leone officially started the Ohio River Trail Council (ORTC). 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, good health, and new ways to travel.
The trail would also highlight cultural and historical places. It would help with education and protect natural resources. Plus, it would boost the local economies (money-making activities). Dr. Vincent Troia was the one who first imagined the trail and its connections.
The Ohio River Trail Council started as a local effort. It joined a bigger movement to create greenways across the country. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan suggested building a national network of greenways. Pennsylvania also started its own greenway program in 2001. This program helps support greenway projects in all 67 counties of the state.
Planned Trails and What They Offer
The Ohio River Greenway Trail is planned to start at a special spot called the Beginning Point of the U.S. Public Land Survey. This spot is where Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia meet. From there, it will connect to many other trails. These include the Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail and the Beaver River Trail.
It will also link to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail through the Montour Trail. In Pittsburgh, it will connect to the Three Rivers Heritage Trail and the Great Allegheny Passage. This makes the Ohio River Trail a very important link. It will help create a "mega-trail" from the Great Lakes region all the way to Washington, D.C..
The ORTC also wants the Ohio River Trail to be part of the U.S. Bicycle Route System Route 50. It will also be part of the Adventure Cycling Association Underground Railroad, Pittsburgh spur. The area where the Ohio River Trail will run is part of the National Park Service Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area.
The Ohio River Trail aims to make life better for people who use it. It will offer chances for exercise and fun activities. It can also be a different way to travel between towns. This could help reduce traffic and pollution. There are also plans to make the trail easy for disabled people to use.
The project will turn old rail lines, bridges, and canal paths into public trails. A big focus is on showing off and protecting historical and cultural sites along the trail. There are also plans for an Ohio River Trail Museum. The project hopes to help the areas around the trail become lively again.
Communities Along the Trail
The Trail will pass through 31 communities in Western Pennsylvania.
There are twelve communities on the North Shore of the Ohio River:
- Glasgow
- Ohioville
- Midland
- Industry
- Vanport Township
- Beaver
- Bridgewater
- Fallston
- New Brighton
- Rochester
- Rochester Township
The North Shore Extension adds eight more communities:
The Bradys Run Extension includes two more:
There are also ten communities on the South Shore of the Ohio River:
- Monaca
- Center Township
- Aliquippa
- Hopewell Township
- South Heights
- Crescent Township
- Moon Township
- Coraopolis
- Montour Junction
- Neville Township (with an extension 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 on the Ohio River and its smaller rivers. Currently, you can access the Little Beaver Creek at Lock 57 Park in Ohioville. The Ohio River has access at Monaca, and the Beaver River at Bridgewater & Rochester's Riverfront Park.
The ORTC wants to design and build places to launch kayaks and canoes. These spots will have signs and storage racks for boats.
The whole project is expected to bring good things to Western Pennsylvania. It will create jobs in building and maintaining the trails. It will also boost tourism with things like rafting tours, bike rentals, restaurants, and places to stay.
What's Happening Now
Building the rail trail that will connect Lake Erie to Washington, D.C. is moving forward. Vincent Troia and Mario Leone, the organizers, are ready to show their progress. They have gotten support from communities in Beaver County. Soon, they will have similar support from communities in Allegheny County.
A study to see if the South Shore trail is possible costs about $50,000. Leone and Troia said their non-profit group has already raised enough money for a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). This study is being done by Stromberg, Garrigan & Associates and should take six to ten months.
On January 6, 2010, the study for the Ohio River South Shore trail began. It was expected to finish in the spring of 2011.
On June 12, 2010, a "Plant a Wish" project took place at the Beginning Point of the U.S. Public Land Survey. People from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia wrote wishes on paper. These were buried under a newly planted tree. They hope this spot will be the start of a bike trail going up the Ohio River.
On July 28, 2010, the Council received a $10,000 grant from the Port of Pittsburgh Commission. This money will be used to create "blueways" (water trails) and build bike and canoe racks. These will be in Rochester, Monaca, Bridgewater, and Ohioville.
The study for the North Shore trail costs 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 study started in January 2011.
On October 15, 2010, the ORTC and its partners received a $150,000 grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This money will help with cleaning up old industrial sites. These towns are working together to plan a new future after losing many factories.
On October 25, 2010, the National Park Service (NPS) approved a grant for the Ohio River Trail Council. Over the next year, NPS staff will help the ORTC with their studies. They will also help get more people involved in the project. They are working with other trail groups to create a Tri-State Trail Alliance. This will help all the smaller trails become part of a bigger system.
The South Shore Feasibility Study finished in March 2011. The planned Ohio River South Shore Trail will be about 15.6 miles long. It will go from Monaca to the start of the Montour Trail.
In 2011, the NPS helped with studies for both the Ohio River Water Trail and the Land Trail. They also supported a big effort to link trails in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. On March 29, 2011, 80 trail supporters met for a Tri-state Trail Alliance meeting. Another meeting happened on October 13, 2011, to support linking trails in the tri-state area.
On October 25, 2010, the National Park Service approved a second year of help for the Ohio River Trail Council. In 2012, NPS staff will focus on finding a specific part of the trail to build. They will also continue to guide the Tri-State Trail Initiative. This effort includes eighteen counties in three states.
On April 6, 2011, the ORTC got a second grant from the Port of Pittsburgh Commission. This money is for building a small watercraft launch in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.
On October 26, 2011, the National Park Service approved more help for the Ohio River Trail Council. In 2012, NPS staff will work on building a section of the Ohio River Land/Water Trail. They will also keep leading the Tri-State Trail Initiative. This project involves counties in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.
On December 5, 2011, the Ohio River Trail Council held a public meeting. It was about the study for a bike and walking trail on the north side of the Ohio River. This trail would connect to the South Shore Trail at the Monaca-Rochester Bridge. It would then continue to the Ohio-West Virginia state line.
See also
- Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike
- Beaver River Trail
- East Coast Greenway
- Great Allegheny Passage
- Lower Trail, Pennsylvania
- Montour Trail
- North Country Trail
- Ohio to Erie Trail
- Panhandle Trail
- Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
- Rails with trails
- Three Rivers Heritage Trail
- Youghiogheny River Trail
