$2.8 million needed to reopen Montour Trail tunnel
Trail council launches fundraising campaign
The Montour Trail Council is hoping to raise nearly $2.8 million – the largest single repair project in the nonprofit’s history – to reopen the National Tunnel.
According to council President Julian Wolfe, the council contracted an engineering firm in November to assess the condition of the 112-tunnel after trail users reported chunks of concrete falling from the ceiling.
The assessment determined substantial deterioration along the ceiling of the tunnel was the culprit.
“They assessed that it wasn’t safe, so we closed it immediately,” Wolfe said. The tunnel has remained closed to all traffic ever since.
The 630-foot-long tunnel sits nearly at the middle of the approximately 60-mile trail system that spans Pittsburgh’s South Hills from Coraopolis to Clairton, or “from C to shining C as one of my predecessors called it,” Wolfe said.
More than 350,000 bikers, hikers and walkers use the trail each year, making it among the most popular outdoor attractions in the region.
Now, the council has launched the “Support the Tunnel” campaign to raise the $2.75 million necessary to install a steel lining along about half of the interior surface of the tunnel to permanently address the deterioration.
The council will utilize a “triad approach” to fundraising, pursuing state grant funding, philanthropic contributions and support from local businesses.
As a private 501(C)(3) non-profit organization, the council receives no funding in recurring tax revenue or direct state investment, relying on fees from paid members and charitable contributions, Wolfe said.
“It’s an enormous expense for a small nonprofit like us,” he said. “We do have a small savings we can use, but the majority of funding will need to come from donors and grants.”
Wolfe said the council is “optimistic” that it will receive some degree of grant awards from state agencies, since the group has a strong track record of successful application for previous projects.
Depending on how soon the council can secure the required funding, Wolfe hopes that construction to reopen the tunnel can begin sometime in early 2027.
Many Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant programs announce their recipients at the end of the calendar year, so the council will have to wait until then to determine if it will receive any state support during this funding cycle.
Wolfe said interested parties can contribute online at https://montourtrail.org.