PITTSBURGH — An environmental group wants to join two trails along the Allegheny River by creating a link snaking through 17 Western Pennsylvania river towns, much to the joy of bicycling enthusiasts.

Friends of the Riverfront is seeking proposals for a feasibility study to outline how to connect the Three Rivers Heritage Trail to the Armstrong Trail.

Executive Director Thomas Baxter called it "an exciting step forward," adding the number of people using the Three Rivers Heritage Trail exceed the group's expectations.

The Pittsburgh-based group developed and maintains the Three Rivers Heritage Trail that runs along both sides of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers.

The new 34-mile trail would run along the Allegheny River, starting in Millvale, just outside Pittsburgh.

"It's a fantastic idea," said Pittsburgh resident Mary Shaw, who, along with her husband, Roy Weil, is an avid bicyclist. "The section of the trail in Freeport is important because it is a junction for other trails that have been completed or being developed."

More than 30 miles of abandoned railroad lines have been converted to create the Armstrong Trail. It begins in Gilpin, Armstrong County, and runs to East Brady in Clarion County. But some of the trail's development has been stalled over disputes about the ownership of the rail lines.

Some of the biggest challenges in developing the new trail would be getting rights of way from riverfront property owners, including businesses, Baxter said.