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Montour Trail tunnel to reopen by Memorial Day

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The Greer Tunnel, at mile 28.7 on the Montour Trail, will close starting July 17.

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Courtesy of Montour Trail Council

The 110-year-old Greer Tunnel on the Montour Trail is undergoing major renovations.

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Courtesy of Montour Trail Council

The deteriorating ceiling of the Greer Tunnel on the Montour Trail in Peters Township will undergo major renovations.

By Memorial Day, runners, walkers, and bikers might be able to once again zoom through the Greer Tunnel, located in Peters Township on one of the most scenic stretches of the Montour Trail – but only temporarily.

The 110-year-old tunnel was closed in March when structural deficiencies were found in its deteriorating ceiling.

Volunteers erected a temporary scaffold-and-plywood shield to safeguard trail users from debris detaching from the ceiling.

Now, the tunnel is undergoing major renovations that are expected to run through the end of 2023.

The renovations include shoring up the east portal and installing a 100-foot tunnel liner to stabilize the 235-foot-long concrete structure.

The projects are estimated to carry a price tag upwards of $600,000, and costs have been rising steadily.

“Safety is the No. 1 priority. We definitely regretted having to close the tunnel as the spring season was closing in, but there was no question we had to close it to strengthen and reinforce the portal,” said Julian Wolfe, vice president of the Montour Trail Council. “We’re hustling to get it open for Memorial Day weekend.”

Wolfe said once those temporary repairs are completed and the tunnel is reopened, it will remain open until the liner installation project begins, likely in late summer or early fall.

The Montour Trail Council aims to minimize disruptions during the renovation, but it has not determined whether the tunnel, at mile post 28.7, will be closed or if it will be open with limited access through the tunnel Fridays through Sundays.

“As soon as we move forward with the ceiling liner, (the tunnel) will close again, and then it is to be determined if it’s going to be closed permanently or if we can operate on a schedule that will permit access on weekends,” said Wolfe.

Wolfe said the renovation project accounts for “a significant chunk of our budget.”

The Washington County Redevelopment Authority has made a sizable contribution for repairs, and the MTC has launched an online campaign to raise $350,000.

An estimated 30,000 people use the trail each month – more than 360,000 annually – according to a 2021 study, with most of them hiking and biking the more than 60-mile-long marvel of a pathway between April and December.

In 2017, the Montour Trail was named Pennsylvania’s Trail of the Year.

The Montour Trail runs along the former Montour Railroad, which was built in 1877 and fed the area’s steel mills. At its peak, the railroad carried seven million tons of coal per year. The railroad ended in 1984, and the steel rails and any railroad ties worth salvaging were removed, according to the MTC.

The MTC was formed in 1989 to oversee the construction, maintenance and operation of the Montour Trail, which is one of the nation’s longest non-motorized suburban rail-trails.

The trail connects with Pittsburgh International Airport, the Panhandle Trail, and the Great Allegheny Passage that stretches over 330 miles from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.

The all-volunteer organization relies on volunteers, friends’ groups, and community organizations to keep the trail in excellent condition.

“Our president, Ned Williams, always refers to the trail as ‘a jewel necklace around Pittsburgh’ because if you look at it on a map, it hangs below Pittsburgh, south and west, like a necklace,” said Wolfe. “It is a jewel.”

To donate, visit www.montourtrail.org or use the QR codes located at several trailheads along the Montour Trail.

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