After more than 20 years of work, the Butler Freeport Community Trail finally will have its trailhead in Butler.

Buffalo Township, which owns the trail, has received its final state Department of Environmental Protection permit allowing construction of a bridge across Coal Run into Father Marinaro Park in the south side of Butler.

The construction of the bridge will complete the 20-mile trail from in Freeport.

Chris Ziegler, president of the Butler Freeport Trail Council, said work is set to begin this month and take eight weeks to complete.

A roughly $90,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources covered materials while the trail council will fund the estimated $55,000 in labor costs.

A $10,000 grant from the Rails to Trails Conservancy funded decking for the bridge.

Ziegler said the recent half marathon raised $38,000 so the trail council has ample funding for the project.

A few years ago, DEP ordered T.W. Phillips Gas and Oil 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.

The trail is designed for walkers, runners and bicyclists, and provides opportunities for people to enjoy nature and visit designated birding areas.

“The bridge into Butler has been a vision since the trail’s inception,” Ziegler stated in a press release. “We are excited to see this last puzzle piece fall into place and are thankful for all of the community and volunteer support over the years.”

The bridge, to be named “Fellowship Crossing,” commemorates a group of people with a common interest intersecting along the same path.