Work on West End Trolley Trail in Pittsburgh pushed back a year

Work on the West End Trolley Trail has been delayed, with construction now scheduled to begin next summer.

The trail follows the former path of a public transit trolley and includes on-street shared lanes, as well as a path reserved only for pedestrians and bicyclists. Plans for the trail include benches and lighting.

The West End Trolley Trail begins at Pittsburgh’s border with Crafton and Noblestown Road, extend through portions of the city’s Crafton Heights, Westwood and Elliott neighborhoods and end behind the West End’s historic Old Stone Tavern.

Work on the upgrading and finishing the trail was originally slated to begin this spring, according to City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, who represents the area where the trail is located.

However, the plan has been delayed “due to weather conditions,” said Maria Montaño, Mayor Ed Gainey’s spokeswoman.

The project is currently in the preliminary design phase, which includes an engineer’s estimate of construction costs, she said. Part of that phase includes testing soil samples to analyze the storm water situation at the site. Those tests could not be conducted during the winter months, when the ground was frozen, shesaid.

That means the project has been stuck in the preliminary design phase longer than some had hoped.

Construction should begin in the summer 2023, though Montaño could not estimate how long construction may take.

Officials are also looking to find additional grant funding to supplement the project, she said.

The city has already procured a grant of up to $500,000 from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County.

A portion of the trail already exists — though it is slated to get updates once construction begins — and people already use that section, Kail-Smith said.

She has been working with others in the community since 2009 to revamp the trail.

Kail-Smith did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the delay.