Armstrong Trails was among a handful of winners from 170 applicants nationally for a Rails-to-Trails Conservancy grant of $35,000.

The grant will go toward the reconstruction of the southern sluice on the Brady Tunnel in Clarion County. Work in the tunnel needs to be completed to link a disjointed 4.5-mile northern section of the Armstrong Trail, and the southern 31-mile portion connecting East Brady and Ford City. The 36-mile Armstrong Trail traverses the former Allegheny Valley Railroad line along the eastern bank of the Allegheny River in Armstrong and Clarion counties.

The grant was good news for Chris Ziegler, executive director of the Armstrong Trails.

Known as a “sluice,” the trough on top of the tunnel is not carrying water over the top of the tunnel. Instead drainage water is going into the tunnel, according to Ziegler.

“The freeze-thaw issue is jeopardizing the integrity of the portal stones,” she said.

The water issue was great enough to catch the attention of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy .

The Armstrong Trails Brady Tunnel project is one of only six in the country selected for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s 2020 Doppelt Fund grants, which support significant regional and community trail development projects. The conservancy is based in Washington, D.C.

“The competitive Doppelt Fund grants bring regional trail projects to fruition that otherwise would never have been possible,” said Ryan Chao, president of the conservancy.

Bids already have gone out for the construction of a new sluice over Brady Tunnel, according to Ziegler. Contracts will be awarded in March, with construction starting soon after and completed by June.

After the sluice is completed, more work will continue in the Brady Tunnel. A completion date hasn’t yet been given for the tunnel.

“Armstrong Trails-Brady Tunnel Project will connect people to places and create opportunities for economic growth while preserving its historical significance and integrity,” Ziegler said.

Established in 2015, the Doppelt Family Trail Development Fund is made possible by donations from from philanthropist Jeff Doppelt of Great Neck, N.Y., and an anonymous donor. The Doppelt Family Trail Development Fund has awarded more than half-million dollars in grants to nonprofits and government agencies in 25 states to strengthen critical regional trail projects.

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