Bridge work nearly done
After more than 20 years, the final piece of the Butler Freeport Community Trail is nearing completion.
Work on a bridge crossing Coal Run and connecting Father Marinaro Park in Butler to the trail is expected to be finished in a week to 10 days, said Chris Ziegler, president of the Butler Freeport Trail Council.
“I keep going down to make sure it’s still there because it doesn’t seem real,” Ziegler said.
The first portion of the trail opened in 1992. Construction of the bridge was held up for years due to state Department of Environmental Protection restrictions.
A few years ago, the DEP ordered the then-T. W. Phillips Gas and Oil Co. to relocate an over-the-stream gas line over Coal Run underground because of arsenic discovered on soil on the trail.
The arsenic was remediated last fall.
In November, Buffalo Township, which owns the trail, received its final DEP permit allowing construction of the bridge.
Ziegler said DEP treated the council and the township fairly.
“They got to us as quickly as they could,” Ziegler said.
Work on the bridge began April 1. Holbein Inc. of Sarver is doing that work.
The bridge is 135 feet long and 12 feet wide. It is concrete and supported by six piers and 10 steel beams.
A $90,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources covered materials. A $10,000 grant from the Rails to Trails Conservancy funded decking for the bridge.
Additionally, the trail council spent about $150,000 for labor costs.
The bridge, to be named “Fellowship Crossing,” commemorates a group of people with a common interest along the same path.
The trail is designed for walkers, runners and bicyclists, and provides opportunities for people to enjoy nature and visit designated birding areas. It connects five other trails stemming from Freeport.
Work is being done to connect those trails to routes leading to Erie, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the trail and bridge will be held in mid June at a date to be announced, Ziegler said.
