Panhandle Trail: The Montour Trail crosses over the Panhandle Trail on the
McDonald Trestle. The Montour-Panhandle connector trail is approximately 1.1 miles (1.8 km) long and connects the two trails. The Panhandle stretches 29 miles (47 km) between
Carnegie, Pennsylvania, and
Weirton, West Virginia. The last unfinished section between Joffre and
Burgettstown was finished in August 2008, and the trail is now complete.
Ohio River Trail: This proposed trail will connect the Montour Trail to the Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway in Ohio. When completed the trail will be an important link in a mega-trail system from the
Great Lakes Region to
Washington, D.C.
Points of interest
McDonald Viaduct (Trestle): Formerly used by the
Montour Railroad, the 960-foot (290 m) long trestle reopened in 2003. It spans over Noblestown Road, Robinson Run, the
Panhandle Trail and John's Avenue in Washington County, PA.
Library Trestle: This 506-foot (154 m) railroad trestle over Library Rd. (PA 88) in South Park was also formerly used by the Montour Railroad, until its incorporation into the trail. Renovation was completed in the spring of 2015.
West Peters Trail Area: This approximately two-mile section in
Peters Township, PA of trail holds four amazing sites: the Greer Tunnel, two bridges directly adjacent to the tunnel, and the X-1 railroad service crane, a former working crane for the Montour Railroad. One of the bridges adjacent to the Greer Tunnel is the Chartiers Creek High Bridge, the highest bridge on the trail. A working railroad line also crosses directly under the trail in this area.
Organization
The Montour Trail is managed and maintained by
The Montour Trail Council (MTC). The MTC is a non-profit all-volunteer group which builds, operates, and maintains the trail. It is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation, relying on corporate, foundation and government grants and private donations for funding. As of 2012, MTC maintained net assets in excess of $9,300,000.00.[3]
Branches
The Montour Trail has four branches: Bethel, Muse, Westland, and the Airport Connector. The Bethel Branch extends from the trail in
Peters Township into
Bethel Park. There are plans to extend the existing Bethel Branch to nearby Millennium Park by following the remaining section of the former railway.[4][5] The Muse Branch is a planned, undeveloped branch in
Cecil Township that goes to the town of Muse. The Westland Branch is a branch that extends from the trail in Venice to the town of Westland. The Airport Connector is a branch of the trail that goes from the mainline trail in
Imperial to
Pittsburgh International Airport. The Connector does not follow any of the Montour Railroad grade, rather it follows roads to the airport.
In December 2010
MarkWest Energy announced plans to lease the Westland Branch right of way from the Montour Trail Council for 30 years. The branch was redeveloped as a combination trail and railroad operated by the
Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway to serve MarkWest's Westland
natural gas processing plant. Construction was completed and the branch began operation in August 2012.[6][7][8][9]
^Campbell, Cristie (August 21, 2012).
"Taking the Tracks". Observer-Reporter. Washington, PA. Archived from
the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2012.