Tom Corbett, Governor • Barry J. Schoch, Secretary

Issue 5 • Summer 2013

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Thanks to a partnership of PennDOT, state and local officials, andcommunity groups, the Erie-to-Pittsburgh Bicycle Trail in westernPennsylvania is another step closer to becoming a reality.

Ground was broken last fall on the McClintock Trail, a 1.7-mile-longtrail that runs through the historic oil region near Oil City inVenango County. It will be part of the planned 270-mile-long trailthat would stretch from Erie to Pittsburgh.

The northern portion of the McClintock Trail already runs on lowtraffic volume rural roads. The southern portion is now underconstruction and nearing completion.

The southern trail will parallel railroad tracks and will feature aneight-foot-wide paved trail surface and, eventually, interpretivepanels.

The newly constructed segment of the McClintock Trail will start atMcClintock Well #1 – the historic oil well in Cornplanter Townshipthat is identified as the oldest well in the world that is stillproducing oil at its original depth. The trail will extend into Oil City.

When complete, the McClintock Trail will join other Oil Regiontrails – The Queen City Trail, the Oil Creek State Park Trail, SamuelJustus Trail, Oil City Trail and the Allegheny River Trail – inultimately providing bicyclists a contiguous route from Titusville in

Venango, Crawford Counties Aspire to be Home for SeveralBicycling Hub Communities

In This Issue:Altoona Bike Path Project ReceivesCommunity Transportation Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Capitol Region Study Aims to Improve Biking, Walking Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Shared-Lane Markings Improve Safety . . . . . . . . 4

Trail Spotlight: The Lower Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Belmar Trail, a spur of Erie to Pittsburgh trail. Photoscourtesy of Kim Harris, Project Manager, Oil RegionAlliance of Business, Industry and Tourism

By Marianne Warner, Safety Press Officer, PennDOT District 1

Continued on page 2

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Crawford County, through VenangoCounty to the City of Parker inArmstrong County.

That Titusville-to-Parker segment ofthe Erie-to-Pittsburgh Trail will be85 percent complete when theMcClintock Trail is finished.

The McClintock Trail also has asafety component. Cyclists will nolonger have to share the road withtraffic on busy Route 8. Additionally,a fence that will separate the trailfrom active Western New York &Pennsylvania Railroad tracks willdiscourage people from trespassingon those tracks.

The WNY&P realigned 1,800 feet ofits tracks to facilitate developmentof the trail.

Construction of the McClintock Trailwas made possible with $1.7 millionin transportation funds throughPennDOT and a $205,000 grant fromthe state Department ofConservation and NationalResources.

“PennDOT provided technicalguidance, along with an avenue forthe delivery of this project. It’s beenvery rewarding to be part of an effortthat required so much coordinationbetween the partners involved, andwill result in the construction of atrail that will be enjoyed by somany,” said Brian McNulty,

PennDOT District 1’s former bicycleand pedestrian coordinator.

Kim Harris of the Oil Region Allianceof Business, Industry & Tourism, anOil City-based development group,is the project manager responsiblefor design and construction of thesouthern McClintock Trail. Shealready looks forward to a projectthat PennDOT expects to let in 2014.That project would further developthe southern trailhead – the pointwhere the trail would begin in OilCity.

The combined Oil Region trailsegments would provide bicyclistswith a ride through the historic andpicturesque Oil Creek and AlleghenyRiver valleys, but planners also hopethey will help the communities alongthe route.

A bicycle trail can be an economicengine for a community, accordingto Deb Frawley, the GreenwaysCoordinator for Council onGreenways & Trails, a group createdthrough a partnership of threecounties (Crawford, Venango andClarion), seven municipalities andseven non-profit groups to enhancethe outdoor recreation infrastructureof the region.

A 2006 study by the AlleghenyValley Trails Association and the OilRegion Alliance said existing trails inthe Oil Region attract more than

160,000 users and generate morethan $4.3 million in revenues.

A follow-up economic study is nowunder way, and Frawley believes itwill show even more promisingresults because of the miles of trailthat have been added and theimproved connections to towns.

The vision of trail proponents is tohave local towns in Venango andCrawford counties develop intobicycling hub communities – placesthat would have the facilities andattractions to prompt cyclists to usethem as a start point or end point fortheir travels.

And that vision may be seeingprogress. The City of Franklin isalready designated a BicycleFriendly Community, and there areplans to develop trail town plans forTitusville, Oil City, Franklin, Foxburgand East Brady.

In recognition of these regionalefforts, the statewide Greenways andTrails Summit is to be held Sept. 15 –17 in Franklin. Event hosts includethe Council on Greenways & Trailsand the Oil Region Alliance.

For more information on theMcClintock Trail and Erie-to-Pittsburgh Trail, visithttp://www.eriepittsburghtrail.org/

Tunnel on Erie to Pittsburgh trail

Continued from page 1

Photo courtesy of Kim Harris

Altoona Bike Path Project Receives CommunityTransportation Award

In 2009 the City of Altoona approached PennDOTDistrict 9, based in Holidaysburg, about a bike pathproject linking Penn State Altoona’s Main Campus to itsdowntown buildings. The department decided to takeadvantage of the opportunity to link transportationinvestments and land-use planning to help communitydevelopment.

Recently the collaborative effort earned a2013 Community TransportationExcellence Award from the 10 ThousandFriends of Pennsylvania, an alliance oforganizations and individuals committedto land-use policies in the state.

The project receiving the award was theAltoona Bike/Pedestrian Trail alongJuniata Gap Road, which was developedthrough PennDOT’s previous pilot program, thePennsylvania Community Transportation Initiative(PCTI). District 9 was the first to put out a PCTI bid inthe state, with the City of Altoona applying for andreceiving the $300,000 federal grant.

“This was a great opportunity for a multi-modal project,and those are rare in rural areas like District 9,” said

John Ciprich, PennDOT design services engineer.“The department is always on the lookout for moreprojects like this one.”

The project was developed in cooperation with the Cityof Altoona, Penn State Altoona and District 9, adding atransportation alternative for students beyond transit

and driving. The Altoona Bike Path wasadded into an already existing roadwayproject along Juniata Gap Road from West14th Avenue to Chestnut Avenue, anexisting 2.7 mile route connecting theIvyside Campus to the downtown campus.

Through the cooperative effort, the pathhelped improve the community’s quality oflife by reducing congestion, emphasizingsafety and promoting the town center. The

project’s completion was marked with dedicationceremony in 2010, with many attendees biking to theevent to show their support.

The project award was presented on June 19 inHarrisburg, with Altoona Mayor Bill Schirf accepting theaward. A small commemoration ceremony was also heldat the path on July 11 for local award recognition.

By Tara M. Callahan-Henry, PennDOT Community Relations Coordinator

PennDOT, along with partners including the City ofHarrisburg, the state Department of General Services,Capital Area Transit, and the Capitol Police, areworking together to improve the safety and mobility of

pedestrians and bicyclists in the Capitol Complexin Harrisburg.

A study team has been formed to evaluate the currentconditions and what improvements could be made inthe area between Forster Street and Market Street(north/south) and North 7th Street and North 3rdStreet (east/west).

The initiative is under way, and an initial analysis hasbeen completed gathering information on trafficvolumes and walking and biking patterns in the area.This review identified potential pedestrian and bicycleconflict areas within the study area.

Using these study results, the team will review whatenhancements could improve safety in the area.Potential improvements could include signing,crosswalks, lighting, bus stops and shelters. Pendingavailable funding, PennDOT hopes to be able toimplement enhancements in the next 18 months.

Capitol Region Study Aims to Improve Biking,Walking Safety

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Navigating the streets on a bicycle can be a challenge.

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With summer in full swing, more and more bicyclists aresharing the road. Have you noticed any new markingslately on the roads in your community? Communities inLehigh and Northampton counties have started toimplement shared lane markings, or “sharrows,” on theircity streets.

Beginning in 2009 with the City of Bethlehem and justthis year in the City of Allentown, sharrows startedmaking their way to the city streets and state roadwayswithin these municipalities.

Shared-lane markings are distinguished by a symbolthat looks like two chevrons with a bicycle beneath. Thesharrows serve to provide direction for both motorists

and bicyclists. Motorists are reminded that bicyclists areexpected to travel in the street and are allowed to use asmuch of the lane as necessary for optimal safety. Also,they remind bicyclists to ride in the street as opposed tothe sidewalk, avoiding parked cars and traveling in thesame direction as motor vehicle traffic.

Whereas many municipalities across the countryimplement bike lanes that designate specific areas forbicyclists to ride, bicycling safety groups in the LehighValley have been strong advocates for use of thesharrow, which they believe to be an alternative to bikelanes.

The Coalition for Appropriate Transportation (CAT), aLehigh-Valley based organization that encouragesvarious modes of transportation like bicycling, walkingand public transportation, has worked to lead thisinitiative within the Lehigh Valley. Along with their mainfocus of bicyclist education efforts through on-the-roadtraining, CAT was instrumental in piloting the use ofsharrows by conducting bicycle surveys and workingwith city officials on sharrow placement.

Bicycle surveys have recently shown that while 90percent of bicyclists in Bethlehem ride in the correctdirections, only 60 percent of bicyclists do in Allentown- a fact that exemplifies the need for education inPennsylvania’s third largest city.

In late June, CAT, with PennDOT and the City ofAllentown, held a demonstration at the PennDOTDistrict 5 office in Allentown on how to properly, andmost importantly, safely ride utilizing the new shared-lane markings. The event was well attended andPennDOT thanks all who participated.

Shared Lane Markings Improve Safety By Sean A. Brown, Safety Press Officer, PennDOT District 5

Linden Street in Allentown utilizes shared-lane markings.

PennDOT to Present on Bicycle Facility Development PennDOT’s planning partners the Tri-County RegionalPlanning Commission, Lancaster County PlanningCommission, Lebanon and York Metropolitan PlanningOrganizations will join other transportationstakeholders to host an afternoon discussion ondeveloping bicycle facilities on Thursday, Sept. 26.

As part of the event, Mike Keiser, PennDOT’s executivefor the Harrisburg-based District 8 office, will speakabout the department’s perspective on bicycle facilitiesmeeting PennDOT and American Association of State

Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) guidelines.The afternoon will be framed around discussion of theAASHTO Guide for the Development of BicycleFacilities.

The event will be held from noon to 5 p.m. at FortHunter Centennial Barn in Harrisburg. For moreinformation about the event and registration, contactJanine Park of the Tri-County Regional PlanningCommission at jpark@tcrpc-pa.org.

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by Karl King, Vice President, Rails to Trails of Central PA

Over 150 years ago, canal boats plied the route of what is now the Lower Trail as part of the Pennsylvania MainLine Canal. Paralleling the scenic Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River, the trail stretches 17 miles fromnear Canoe Creek State Park in Blair County through the peaceful Juniata Valley to the village of Alfarata in Huntingdon County.

Mostly wooded, the trail’s name rhymeswith “flower” and honors the memory ofthe wife and son of its chief benefactor. Itis open to hiking, cycling, horsebackriding, wildlife photography, birding andcross-country skiing and provides canoeand kayak access at five sites along theJuniata River Water Trail. The river alsooffers excellent fishing opportunities.

With only a minimal grade from east towest, the Lower Trail consists of a rolled,crushed limestone surface, with theexception of a 2-mile stretch extendingthrough the borough of Williamsburgwhere roller blading and skate boarding

are permitted. Rails to Trails ofCentral Pennsylvania (RTTCPA)purchased the corridor from the PennCentral Corporation in 1989 after therail line that succeeded the canal wasdiscontinued and the trail was openedin 1994.

Today, visitors to the trail can see theremains of canal locks and locktenders’ houses, as well as abandonedstone crushers and tipples left fromthe early 20th century when the railline served limestone quarries andrefractories in what was once andindustrial valley.

Five trailheads serve the Lower Trail: Flowing Spring near Canoe Creek State Park, Grannas Station, Williamsburgwhere food and services are available, Covedale, Mt. Etna and Alfarata, near Alexandria. Directions to the trailheadsand more information on the Lower Trail can be found at www.rttcpa.org.

Ruins of a lock from the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal near Mt. Etna along the Lower Trail.

T r a i l S p o t l i g h t . . .

The Lower Trail

One-time railroad bridges built on the piersof canal aqueducts carry the Lower Trail overthe Frankstown Branch at three locationsalong the corridor.

(Photo courtesy of RTTCPA)

(Photo courtesy of RTTCPA)