Friends of the Riverfront seeks public input on Cheswick trail

Plans to extend the Three Rivers Heritage Trail through Cheswick are inching closer to reality.

The public can weigh in on potential designs during an open house Wednesday at the Cheswick Volunteer Fire Department.

Friends of the Riverfront, the nonprofit that oversees the Heritage Trail, is seeking input on construction of a roughly one-mile segment that would connect Cheswick to Pittsburgh and, ultimately, to Washington, D.C.

It is expected to wind from Rachel Carson Park to the Harmar border.

“This open house gives us a chance to talk through any questions or concerns,” said Courtney Mahronich Vita, Friends’ director of trail development.

The Three Rivers Heritage Trail is about 33 miles and runs mostly along the riverfront, with core mileage in the city of Pittsburgh.

The Cheswick section of the larger trail has been a long time coming, with the Friends group working since 2011 in partnership with Allegheny County and the 16 municipalities of the Allegheny Valley to extend the walking path all the way to Freeport.

Similar work is pending in Brackenridge and Verona.

“The 26-mile connection up the Valley will connect these communities to the city and beyond,” Mahronich Vita said.

The planned extension will someday be a part of the larger, developing Erie to Pittsburgh Trail that, when complete, will connect 270 miles of paths in Western Pennsylvania.

It is intended to expand recreation as well as economic development in dozens of communities.

Cheswick officials last year spent $32,000 to complete the design and preliminary engineering of the borough’s potential trail segment. Gibson-Thomas Engineering of Wexford is drawing the plans.

The route ideally will run along the riverfront but will be determined with community input. Mahronich Vita said developers want the trail extension to be reflective of residents’ needs. The borough currently is without a designated walking trail.

Cheswick officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The project will include a connector to link residents from the north side of Freeport Road to Rachel Carson Park, which is expected to increase safety.

It will not only benefit residents, but also act as a detour in the event of riverfront flooding events, officials said.

The Three Rivers Heritage Trail was used more than 2 million times last year.