Five Star Trail to get improved access in Greensburg
Jan. 11—Walkers, joggers and bicyclists in Greensburg should have an easier time getting to the Five Star Trail after improvements are added next year at several points along the recreational path.
The city is partnering with PennDOT on a project that will establish a new trailhead at George Street, which parallels East Pittsburgh Street, and will install upgrades at four existing access points.
"The primary goal of the project is to enhance the connectivity between the Five Star Trail and the various city neighborhoods it passes through," said Jeff Raykes, Greensburg's planning director.
Improvements — including new signage and pavement markings, new benches, new bollards and widened access — are slated for trail heads at Wood Street, Laird Street and Highland Avenue and at the Nature's Way grocery store at Highland Avenue and Mt. Pleasant Street.
The traffic signal at the latter intersection will be upgraded to better assist crossing pedestrians. It will gain new pedestrian signal heads, new crosswalks and new curb ramps that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Five Star Trail is close to 8 miles long, connecting Greensburg with Youngwood. While a number of other area trails follow abandoned rail corridors, Five Star is a relatively rare rail-with-trail. It runs alongside tracks of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Railroad.
The trail project also will address maintenance needs.
"On some portions of the trail, the drainage needs to be improved," said Jeff Richards, Westmoreland County parks planning coordinator and vice president of the Five Star Trail chapter of the nonprofit Regional Trail Corp. "We've worked with the city on this and with their consultant," Gibson-Thomas Engineering.
The project has an estimated cost of about $334,500, including construction and engineering, Raykes said. The cost will be covered in large part by federal Transportation Alternative-Set Aside funds, with Greensburg providing a 20% match.
The city also will fund and construct ADA-compliant curb ramps.
City officials hope to complete the trail improvements in the coming spring, but Raykes noted state funding commitments could bump the work back to later next year.
The Five Star Trail was opened in 1996. Its name denotes the number of municipalities it passes through. It begins at Lynch Field in Greensburg and runs through sections of Hempfield, South Greensburg and Southwest Greensburg, ending at Hillis Street in Youngwood.
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff by email at jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .
