Ohio trail to change for CSX rail line
Written by jrood
CSX Transportation wants to raise a portion of the Keystone Viaduct on the Great Allegheny Passage at Sand Patch so its double-decker train cars can clear the structure, the Somerset, Pa., Daily American reports. The Somerset County commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding Tuesday with CSXT that outlines all the improvements the railroad will need to make for the project. The agreement also lists who will be responsible for construction, closure of the trail and when the actual work is being performed.
CSXT wants to raise the
Blue Lick Truss one foot to 21 feet above the existing rail as part of its
National Gateway Initiative. If a detour is necessary for trail users during
the work, CSXT will be responsible for putting the detour in place, county
Trail Coordinator Brett Hollern told the commissioners.
"A lot of the work using
jacks and lifts will be done below the trail surface, so it basically will not
affect the trails," Hollern said after the meeting.
Additionally, CSXT will
make a donation of $25,000 to the non-profit Rails to Trails Association, said
county Solicitor Dan Rullo.
The project is slated to
start in the spring.
The commissioners also
approved a contract with the Somerset Planning & Engineering Services
Tuesday for $6,750 for surveying boundaries at the Rockwood trailhead.
"We need a legal
understanding of the land we own," Hollern said. "Once we know where our
boundaries are, it will be easier to accomplish future projects there."
Those projects are all now
on a wish list. The first project would extend the parking lot to accommodate
the increased numbers of trail users, he said. The next project, would be
building a bridge.
At the trailhead all
travelers must move through a parking lot. While in the parking lot, they have
to share access with vehicles pulling in and out. Then trail users must cross
Rockdale Road to continue on the trail. The county wants to build a bridge over
the road that would follow the old railroad corridor. It would be a safer way
to go for the trail users and there could be a clearer connection into the
downtown area as well, Hollern said.
Construction of a changing
room for both trail users and boaters of the Casselman River is already under
discussion with the Casselman River Watershed Association.
The privacy screening
structure would be built near a concrete launching ramp already in place at the
river’s edge near the trailhead, he said.
