York County rail trails.More essential than ever. Your donation.More appreciated than ever.
YORK COUNTY RAIL TRAIL AUTHORITY NEWS
Give Local York is coming Friday, May 7, 2021!
Give Local York is an online Day of Giving that invites you to give financial support to the agencies that create the projects and programs that you enjoy all year long. Your click on www.givelocalyork.org/organizations/york-county-rail-trail-authorityon May 7 will help to build new and more rail trails in York County. This year’s goal is to raise $15,000.00 for the York County Rail Trail Authority’s current project to expand upon the Hanover Trolley Trail. And you can make it happen! Read on to find out more about this exciting project. Then mark your calendar to Give Local York on May 7!
As a preview to Give Local York.
We invite you to celebrate York County rail trails on April 24, 2021 from 9 AM-1 PM at Hanover Junction Train Station along the Heritage Rail Trail County Park in Seven Valleys, PA. Come enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of spring on this day set aside by the national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy as Celebrate Trails Day.
DJ Chris Wagman will be on the porch playing your favorite tunes, Gung Ho Bikes staff will offer cycle tuned-up tips, and York County Rail Trail Authority members will tune you in to Give Local York coming on Friday, May 7, 2021. Come celebrate with us! Information at www.yorkcountytrails.org or (717) 429-0999. Social-distancing & masks required.
HANOVER TROLLEY TRAIL NEWS
More about the new rail acquisition.
After completing the purchase of 8.45 miles of dormant rail line east and west of Spring Grove, the Rail Trail Authority has formed a development committee that will create a plan for converting the rail corridor into a trail, seek funding, identify additional needs for land, and complete the engineering that will allow the project to move into construction.
Within the rail corridor (shown in green), three segments have been selected for trail development. The map shows how these sections will connect and expand upon previously built trail sections (shown in red). A capital campaign committee is already at work determining a strategy for a multi-million-dollar campaign that would serve as required match to successfully funnel local, state and federal grants to the project.
Planning and engineering begin.
With a grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Rail Trail Authority contracted with Land Studies of Lititz, PA, to study the nearby Oil Creek and prepare a restoration plan that will include concept plans for addressing the creek’s impact on the rail corridor. Through a design grant from the PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR), and required matching funds from Memorial Health Fund and a bequest of the Robert Doss Estate, the Authority engaged the York firm of C.S. Davidson, Inc. to engineer the conversion of three sections of the newly acquired rail corridor into a recreational trail. In addition to incorporating the findings of the creek restoration plan, engineering will include parking lots and connecting corridors to the existing sections of the Hanover Trolley Trail.
Persons interested in receiving updates on the design project are encouraged to contact the Rail Trail Authority at (717) 428-0999 or info@yorkcountytrails.org.
HERITAGE RAIL TRAIL COUNTY PARK NEWS
Funding received to resolve temporary closure.
As required by Norfolk Southern Railroad, owner of the rail line and overhead bridge, the Heritage Rail was temporarily closed at this location in December 2020 until all parties could agree upon the design of a protective shield for trail travelers passing under the bridge. The specific location of the closure is one mile north of the US Route 30 trailhead parking lot and 1.5 miles south of Emig/Mundis Mill Rd. All other portions of the Heritage Rail Trail, except this area under the railroad bridge, remain open and available for trail users.
York County Rail Trail Authority is pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached with PennDOT to provide funding for the design, construction, and installation of a protective shield. The railroad and US Army Corps of Engineers are now reviewing drawings of a proposed shield. Upon approval, the Rail Trail Authority will finalize the drawings and bid the project for construction. The closure is expected to continue through the spring, as the Rail Trail Authority and York County Department of Parks & Recreation work through the design, approval, and construction processes. We appreciate your patience.
YOUR DONATION SUPPORTS NEW RAIL TRAIL DEVELOPMENT.
Become a supporting member ... Feel great the next time you visit your favorite trail!
Your annual donation provides a one-year membership to FRIENDS OF YORK COUNTY RAIL TRAILS.
Memberships begin at just $25 for an individual and $30 for a family.
Would you like to know more about our projects? Meet our directors?
And see how we work?
Attend a monthly business meeting. Held the 2nd Wednesday of each month, 6:30 PM-8:00 PM.
Hanover Junction Train Station
2433 Seven Valleys Rd., Seven Valleys, PA 17360
NEXT MEETING IS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 AT 6:30 PM. To allow for social-distancing, this meeting will be held at
Nixon County Park Nature Center
5922 Nixon Dr., York, PA 17403.
