Montour Trail making progress with National Tunnel fundraising efforts
Montour Trail making progress with National Tunnel fundraising efforts
The National Tunnel – which is considered by many to be the crown jewel of the Montour Trail – has been closed for nearly a year, but the trail’s leadership is beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel with their fundraising efforts to rebuild it.
The 630-foot-long tunnel has been shuttered since Nov. 11, and its location nearly exactly in the middle of the 47-mile trail has made the closure a chokepoint for bicyclists and pedestrians, while stifling nearby businesses that rely on people who use it for recreation.
“The National Tunnel is smack dab in the middle of the main line,” Montour Trail Council Board President Julian Wolfe said of its central location within the 47-mile trail. “So you couldn’t have placed it in a worse position as far as disrupting traffic.”
But Wolfe and other trail volunteers are pleased with the progress they’ve made, raising more than one-third of the $3.2 million that it will cost to rehabilitate and reopen the 113-year-old structure that once allowed Montour Railroad trains to carry coal beneath Klinger Road in Cecil Township.
“Things are very encouraging,” Wolfe said of the fundraising efforts. “They’re going very well.”
The National Tunnel was closed last fall after engineers raised concerns about a large crack that had formed in the roof caused by draining water and the annual freeze-thaw cycle. The nonprofit organization had initially hoped to make temporary repairs and implement other safeguards to protect trail users so the tunnel could reopen relatively quickly, but the decision was made that it should remain closed until a total renovation could be completed.
Paul McKeown, who is leading the project and is vice president of the Montour Trail Council’s board and a member of its engineering and construction committee, said the repairs will include a steel liner with lightweight concrete pumped behind it. The results will look similar to the recent upgrades made to the Greer Tunnel farther down the trail in Peters Township, except on a much grander – and more expensive – scale with 295 feet of steel ribbing on the western end and 100 feet on the eastern part of the tunnel.
“It’s going to be pretty intensive as it ramps up and gets going,” McKeown said.
The steel is already ordered from the company that worked on the Greer Tunnel so it can be stamped and formed in order to be ready to go once the fundraising goal is met.
“That’s exactly the kind of thing we’ll be putting inside the National Tunnel,” McKeown said. “Everything went so well with that (Greer) project there wasn’t much question about the method we would use on the National Tunnel. … It’s a very good design.”
McKeown added that as many of the railroad tunnels built at the turn of the 20th century age, it becomes necessary for major repairs to ensure they are safe for trail users.
“It’s a long-term solution with a short-team disruption,” McKeown said. “This is something that will last long after we’re gone.”
But the closure has had an impact on local businesses that rely on trail-users who would normally pass through the tunnel on their trek through the area.
David Poe, who owns Tandem Connection along Georgetown Road two miles east of the National Tunnel, said he’s noticed a drop-off in business – especially in ice cream sales and minor bike repairs – since a new neighborhood on the other side of the tunnel brought families through, and there are no serviceable detours.
“Normally on weekends, you’d have a line of people waiting for ice cream,” Poe said. “It’s still been somewhat busy, but it’s not jammed like it could be on weekends and some of the nicer days. There is an effect.”
The large parking lot at the Hendersonville trailhead is still an advantage, Poe said, and Tandem’s location in the middle of the Montour Trail makes it a great starting point for bicyclists and walkers.
“The nice thing about us is we’re kind of in the middle of the trail … and a lot of traffic goes both ways,” Poe said.
Poe was originally hopeful the trail council would put in temporary fixes to keep the tunnel open while making permanent repairs, but he understands the need to shut it down for the total renovation project. The trail council has stated it hopes to reopen the tunnel next fall, but Poe expects it won’t be ready for riders and pedestrians until at least the spring of 2028.
“You can obviously tell they have done millions of dollars of projects that have been completed, and this is a biggie. The biggest one they’ve done,” Poe said. “It’s a minor inconvenience for a long-term gain.”
Wolfe said the trail council understands the financial blow the tunnel closure has caused some businesses, which is why they’re working to get it reopened as quickly as possible.
“We’re very cognizant and sensitive to the fact this impacts people who are traveling on the trail … and the businesses that rely on it for customers for their business activities and revenue,” he said. “We’re an all volunteer nonprofit (and) we have an amazing group of volunteers who have been working since we acquired the right-of-way to the old Montour Railroad in 1989.”
He added that the Montour Trail is more than just a recreation activity with its important “social aspect” for the community to gather and meet while enjoying the outdoors.
“People use the trail as a Main Street where they walk their dogs, meet their friends, push their baby strollers,” Wolfe said. “It’s like a community’s Main Street where they meet.”
Wolfe added that they are “indebted to a very devoted following” of volunteers, members and donors who make it possible for them to maintain and improve the Montour Trail. In addition to private donations, the Montour Trail Council is pursuing a variety of state and federal grants.
“It’s a long process, but we have outstanding volunteers and donors who sustain us and allow us to do this,” Wolfe said. “We’re very fortunate to have this group of dedicated, passionate members and donors helping keep us going. We appreciate them very much.”
The nonprofit is also holding its annual “Tour The Montour” event this weekend, which is the biggest fundraiser of the year. Entry is $65 for adults and $20 for children, with each entrant receiving an adult-sized shirt. Riders who didn’t register online before Monday’s deadline can begin registering when check-in starts at 7 a.m. Saturday, with different length rides departing throughout the morning.
To learn how to donate to the Montour Trail’s project to rehab the National Tunnel, or for more information on the “Tour The Montour” fundraiser, go online to www.montourtrail.org.