Brackenridge to hold public meeting on riverfront trail project

Brackenridge has hired a Pittsburgh firm to help design a trail along the Allegheny River that would become part of the larger Three Rivers Heritage Trail.

The firm, TranSystems, will have to work around a number of obstacles and challenges such as trees, telephone poles and “pinch points” where maintaining a wide trail will be difficult.

Residents will be able to hear about plans for the proposed trail and provide their input during a public meeting from 5:15 to 6 p.m. Thursday at the borough building at 1000 Brackenridge Ave., said TranSystems project manager Brian Krul. A council meeting will follow.

“The first thing we want to do is engage the public, let them know what we’re doing and try to get some feedback from them and work with them, then we can start the process,” he said.

The borough used a $20,500 Active Allegheny grant to hire TranSystems to design and engineer the trail parallel to First Avenue between Cherry Street to Mile Lock Lane, along with related intersection improvements.

Krul said his company will develop the construction documents that the borough could use to hire a contractor to build a trail.

While a trail could use Brackenridge Memorial Park and an existing trail for about half the distance between Cherry and Morgan streets, getting from there to Mile Lock is another matter.

“The whole goal is to use the borough property so we don’t have to acquire any right of way,” Krul said.

While a trail would be 8 to 10 feet wide, Krul said he realizes it may not be possible in some areas. The cost of removing obstacles has to be considered.

Officials haven’t decided whether to use asphalt, concrete, crushed limestone or another material for the surface of the trail.

Krul said he expects his firm’s work to be done around summer.

Brian Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, brittmeyer@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BCRittmeyer.