Plans on track for Montour Trail connector
More than two years ago, Cecil Township resident Frank Ludwin offered up naming rights to a hoped-for Southpointe connector of the Montour Trail.
“Anyone who wants their name on it can get it if they make a donation,” Ludwin joked in April 2013.
Ludwin, who gave more than money in his countless hours of work on the project, didn’t know at the time of his death Dec. 20 that the 1.1-mile path would be named for him.
Plans are well under way for the Frank Ludwin Memorial Trail, which will join Hendersonville to the mixed-use residential and business park, providing continuous access to the hundreds of walkers, bicyclists and outdoor enthusiasts who use the trail.
Cecil Township supervisors passed an ordinance Monday to offer continued support of the project. Volunteers, including Cecil Friends of Montour Trail President Dennis Sims and Marcellus Shale Chamber of Commerce President Dale Risker, asked supervisors to donate their time in fundraising efforts.
Supervisors Cindy Fisher and Andy Schrader, who has volunteered in the past, offered to help.
“Plans (for the connector) have been very well thought out,” Schrader said.
Across the United States, about 22,000 miles of abandoned railroad tracks have been converted into trails. Work on the Montour Trail began in 1989. When completed, it will span 46 miles and connect Moon Township to Clairton.
Sims, president of the Cecil Friends, one of six groups responsible for local sections of the trail, said construction will be completed in three phases, with the first and most expensive running from the trail to Reserve Drive. The second section will connect Reserve Drive to Klinger Road and the third will connect to Klinger to Corporate Drive in Southpointe. The total cost of more than $360,000 will be funded entirely by corporate, foundation and government grants and private donations. Washington County Authority donated $20,000 to the project.
Money raised during today’s Frank Ludwin Memorial Tails for Trails 5K Fun Dog Walk will be used for a plaque bearing Ludwin’s name at the connector.
Ludwin, dubbed “Mr. Fix It,” spent as much as 900 hours a year working on the trail. In addition to working as a Cecil supervisor, Ludwin was a trail council member and supervised a volunteer work crew.
“If equipment broke, he could fix it. He taught us how to do a lot,” Sims said. “He would have built (the connector) himself if he could.”
In addition to the connector, a new bridge to carry the trail over Route 980, Route 50 and Millers Run in Cecil is currently being completed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
The $2.3 million project is included in the improvement of the heavily-traveled area, realigning Routes 980 and 50 to form a true intersection. Currently, the intersection is offset, with motorists on Route 980 having to stop, turn and travel about 50 feet on Route 50, before again turning to reconnect to the initial route.
The project will eliminate safety concerns for trail users who had to traverse a steep slope for access.
Three-and-a-half miles southeast of the intersection, the Southpointe connector will provide access to the township’s 35-acre Klinger Park.
Risker highlighted the benefits of the connector, including safety for users, increased traffic for businesses, the promotion of physical activity and providing an attractive amenity for prospective homeowners.
“I think it’s a great idea for Southpointe and Cecil,” he said.
For information on the Montour Trail, visit www.montourtrail.org.