Construction plans are being developed for a new pump track and walking/bike trail extension at Creekside Park in Oakmont.

The recreation board proposed these projects a couple of years ago.

Oakmont officials since acquired a state grant and the necessary permits for the project.

Borough Manager Scot Fodi announced Monday night that he is awaiting documents from Bankson Engineers to seek bids for the work, with the hopes of moving dirt by the summer.

“It will be a recreational destination,” Fodi said. “Not many of these pump tracks are in the nation, let alone in the region. It’s for biking enthusiasts to bike in a very compact area with quick turns and bumps.”

A pump track is a continuous loop of berms and mounds that bicyclists can ride on without pedaling. Its name comes from the pumping motion that riders’ upper and lower bodies make as they ride around a track.

The track would have an asphalt surface constructed on a quarter-acre of Creekside Park near the sand volleyball court and soccer field.

Permit approvals came from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Allegheny County Conservation District.

Fodi said Oakmont also received a $232,000 grant through the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program to help fund the project.

Costs were estimated at $186,000 for the trail extension and $80,000 for the pump track, which brings the total projected cost to $266,000. The borough would pay the difference.

A 1,470-foot walking/biking trail that is about 8 feet wide and made from crushed limestone was installed in the park in 2016.

The next phase in its development is a proposed 5,330-foot extension of that trail, and it would go from the park both east and west along Dark Hollow Road.

Project engineer David Ivanek of Bankson Engineers said, when the project was proposed, the goal was to eventually connect the trail to a neighboring borough.

“We have a vision to eventually build a bridge and cross Plum Creek and head into Verona down to the bank of the Allegheny River,” Ivanek said.

Fodi said at this month’s council meeting that plans have changed, and the trail will be moved away from the creek due to flooding concerns.

Council President Patricia Friday said the developments will be a boon to both residents and visitors.

“I think parks and recreational areas add to the quality of life for the citizens,” she said. “It will be a nice addition to our park system. It will give the children an opportunity to experience this kind of activity in the borough and not have to try and find it in a park somewhere else.”

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