Bike trail to DC getting down to one gap at Sandcastle - Pittsburgh - Pennsylvania (PA) - Page 3 - City-Data Forum

BrianTH · 07-12-2010, 07:07 AM

I believe the bridge went up in April/May, and they were scheduled to officially open the trail to Duck Hollow some time this month.

Edit:

Here is a nice discussion over at bikepgh:

http://bike-pgh.org/bbpress/topic/ne...e-run-in-frick

Some pictures linked there of the bridge going up:

Slowly but surely we are putting together a truly amazing trail system in Pittsburgh.

slamont61 · 07-12-2010, 07:39 AM

Not exactly a marina, but there is Boat Docking included at Sandcastle for the night club (at least there was in the 90's) It's a bit more than just tables.

This is likely the real concern they have with the trail. There will be no elevated trail section as a solution.

PitHoyafan88 · 07-12-2010, 11:09 PM

Sandcastle nearing bike trail agreement

Well...it looks like that's that. Sandcastle and Allegheny county are closing on a deal which should be announced soon.

BrianTH · 07-13-2010, 05:07 AM

That's excellent news (and hopefully it actually happens this time).

AaronPGH · 07-13-2010, 05:43 AM

Amazing!

BrianTH · 07-13-2010, 06:00 AM

By the way, it appears they were in fact feeling the pressure of being the only remaining gap:

Quote:

"We're thrilled to be on the trail," Mr. Judy [vice president of operations for Palace Entertainment, owner of the park] said in a phone interview from California on Monday. "It's been a very high priority for me to get this done." He said the park owners did not want to be the only missing link.

But as we discussed above, and as is implied by the first part of that quote, it is tough for me to imagine this won't be good for Sandcastle's business anyway.

BrianTH · 07-14-2010, 05:10 AM

A little coda to this story:

Great News for Pittsburgh Bike Trails

Quote:

Posted in a message in the GAP Yahoo Group was an email message from Linda McKenna Boxx, President of the Allegheny Trail Alliance:

Quote:

Yesterday at a meeting in Harrisburg, Amtrak officials announced that they would begin offering roll-on/roll-off bicycle service on the Capitol Limited by the end of June 2011!

This means that cyclists boarding at Pittsburgh, Connellsville, Cumberland, Harpers Ferry, Martinsburg, Rockville, or Washington, DC will be able to roll their bikes onto the train (reservations will be required; spaces will be limited at first), put them in a rack, and get off at any of these stops. Amtrak will be retrofitting several cars and needs to work out operational issues before the service can begin.

This is great news for all the towns along the Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal towpath. This will add a great convenience and extra excitement to tourists who want to bike our great trail system.

Very cool.

greg42 · 07-14-2010, 07:41 AM

Hey, that Amtrak thing is cool. Means you can bike one-way in either direction, either the entirety of the trails or just part, and then take the train back. A good trick because otherwise what would you do to get back (with bikes) if you only wanted to go one-way? You'd need to have some help, someone on other end with car, shuttle your car beforehand, something. This service is only going to increase use of those trails.

Larger problem than the Sandcastle gap now (considering the entirety between Pittsburgh and Washington DC) may be the condition of the C&O Canal towpath. They've had some issues, including a section I think near Williamsport that was totally washed out and not replaced. Because the Great Allegheny Passage has a lot of newer sections, it should actually be in better shape generally than many sections of the towpath.

gallacus · 07-14-2010, 08:17 AM

VERY cool news about the Amtrak service. I was just prepping my family for a trip to D.C. on Amtrak when the trail is completed with the intention of myself riding back to the 'burgh on my bike, my fam riding back on the train. What perfect timing!

tranceFusion · 08-23-2010, 01:14 PM

How far can one get up the allegheny at this point? Just between Millvale and Etna? Is there plan to extend it?

EDIT: Friends of the Riverfront map shows a proposed extension of the Heritage trail going from Millvale to Kittanning on both side of the river? Are there other trails in Kittanning that would be hooked in?