Allegheny County acquiring rail lines to be converted into biking, walking trail

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Allegheny County is beginning the process of acquiring rail lines that will be converted into a dedicated bike and pedestrian trail.

The Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County and Allegheny RiverTrail Park announced a partnership on Thursday with the Allegheny Valley Railroad Company to acquire the rail lines known as the Brilliant Line.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said it will be "one of the most beautiful and transformational trails that this region has ever seen." 

The Brilliant Line runs between Hamilton Avenue and Aspinwall, along the Allegheny RiverTrail Park's border.   

The trail will connect Bakery Square to the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail. It'll eventually connect upriver to the Allegheny Valley and downriver through the Allegheny RiverTrail Park's easement in Sharpsburg, connecting to Etna Riverfront Park. And ultimately, the county said it would connect to the Three Rivers Heritage Trail in Millvale. 

The purchase of the nearly four-mile line, which includes five bridges, is being funded through the $22 million trail development fund created by Fitzgerald using American Rescue Plan money to fund transportation projects. king.

Work on the acquisition started over a decade ago when one of the founders of the Allegheny RiverTrail Park convinced the Allegheny Valley Railroad to sell the line.

The county said the acquisition is subject to a regulatory review process known as railbanking. Once the regulatory hurdles are cleared, the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County will become the owner of the rail line.