Work on a former railroad tunnel along the Armstrong Trail in Armstrong and Clarion counties is chugging along and gaining speed.

Chris Ziegler, executive director of Allegheny Trails, said the second phase of work on the Brady Tunnel began last week.

The 2,468-foot tunnel was built in 1915 for use by the Allegheny Valley Railroad.

It was closed many years ago due to disrepair, which caused a gap in the Allegheny Trail, which will stretch from Erie to Pittsburgh when the tunnel is repaired and reopened.

Phase I saw the replacement of a portion of the tunnel's lining and the repair of a 20-foot hole at the northern end, where water entered and damaged the tunnel.

Ziegler said in the second phase, workers from Palo Construction of Clarion will repair the sluice at the tunnel's southern portal to divert water from the tunnel and prevent a situation like that of the northern portal.

A 70-foot steel liner will also be added to the northern portal.

Ziegler said funds are lined up to pay the $1.5 million cost of Phase II.

She said the $6 million tunnel repair project is being broken into phases as grant money becomes available.

Engineer Jeff Christy of Young and Associates, the Indiana, Pa., engineering firm working on the project, said the remote tunnel is a welcome change of pace for his firm, which typically focuses on buildings.

“It's been a lot of fun because it's probably a once-in-a-lifetime project,” Christy said. “There aren't many of these that come along. It's unique and challenging.”

Josh James, vice president of civil engineering, enjoys the historical research involved in the project.

“It's interesting learning how that thing was built a century ago,” James said.

Christy said the firm was challenged to build a new sluice that falls within current standards, yet closely resembles the existing sluice.

“For us to be able to do that and stay inside their budget was pretty challenging,” he said.

Ziegler reminds residents that the tunnel remains closed and should not be entered until the entire project is finished.

She said it is not yet known when the tunnel might reopen.