Former trolley trail to be revitalized as walking, biking path in Pittsburgh's West End

A former trolley trail connecting Crafton with Pittsburgh’s West End neighborhood is going to be transformed into a walking and biking path.

Pittsburgh City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith said she’s been working to revamp the trail since before she took office in 2009.

The West End Trolley Trail will begin at the city’s border with Crafton at Noblestown Road, extend through portions of the city’s Crafton Heights, Westwood and Elliott neighborhoods and end behind the West End’s historic Old Stone Tavern on Greentree Road. Kail-Smith estimated the path is between 1 and 2 miles long.

“It connects to a lot of trails,” she said.

Councilman Anthony Coghill said the trail will nearly connect with Seldom Seen Greenway in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood, one of several greenways throughout the city slated to become city parks.

The trail follows the path of a former public transit trolley. The route includes on-street shared lanes, as well as a pedestrian-only path that will include benches and lighting, city officials have said.

“People use it now,” Kail-Smith said, but upcoming upgrades will complete the trail and improve it. Work is scheduled to start in the spring, she added.

The work is being funded through a grant of up to $500,000 from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County. City Council is poised to accept the grant money and authorize its use for revitalizing the trail.