SLIPPERY ROCK — Recreation officials for the borough officially broke ground Wednesday on a project that will construct nearly two miles of walking and biking trails at Slippery Rock Community Park.

The 1.8-mile-long trail, which will be six feet wide and made of a compressed gravel surface overtop of a limestone base, will begin near the park's entrance and end near the parking lot of Slippery Rock Elementary School, said Mary Messer, the park's director. It will also be accessible via areas adjacent to the Giant Eagle on Grove City Road, and the Evergreen Court apartment complex, Messer said.

She called the project a significant upgrade for the borough's recreational offerings.

She said the project has been about three years in the making and comes in response to a 2010 survey that found borough residents wanted new signs, rest rooms and a walking trail at the park.

The park offers multiple youth sports programs on a nearly year-round basis, Messer said, and she envisions the trail — which will also allow biking — catering not just to visitors but to parents and families who visit the park as part of the sports programs.

“It's going to be fabulous for the community,” Messer said. “There's no other walking trail in Slippery Rock.”

The trail will also cater to pet owners, and offer garbage cans, dog waste stations, message boards and benches.

Construction for the project is expected to cost $252,080. That's in addition to more than $39,000 that's already been spent on pre-construction permitting and other preparations. The entire project is being paid with a combination of state and county grant money, said Messer.

The work will be done by West Sunbury-based contractor Joe Puryear Excavating and Trucking, and is expected to be complete before winter, weather permitting.