Collette Dobeck Matthews, a contributor for the NL Bulletin, is looking forward to providing continued updates on the LVRT.
Northern Lebanon residents have been using the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail (LVRT) to walk, run, or bike since construction began in 2016. Recently, the Northern Lebanon Bulletin was able to speak with the President of the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail Organization, John Wengert. John was able to provide great insight into the progress and upcoming plans for the LVRT.
Many of the nearby residents have been awaiting the extension of the trail from the Market Street trailhead to Lickdale. Currently, the rail trail extends out from the trailhead on Market Street and extends North until about a quarter mile past the Route 22 bridge. From that same trailhead the trail goes south about 1.5 miles to Bunker Hill Road.
The Jonestown Portion of the trail was split into several phases. The portion of the trail from Market Street to Bunker Hill Road was completed in Phases 9A, 9B, and 9C. The portion of the trail from Market Street to past the Route 22 bridge is Phase 10A. 10A is partially completed and will be completed by this summer. Phase 10B will connect the rest of the way from Pine Creek Road in Jonestown to the Swatara State Park at Lickdale. It will use a portion of the old rail trail bed and the towpath for the old Union Canal. This phase will be completed in 2024. Funding is key to the completion of these trails. Phase 10A is fully funded and costs around $800,000. However, Phase 10B grants are in the process of being approved and it will cost over $1,000,000 to complete. Roughly 30% of the funding for Phase 10A will come from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural resources (DCNR) and 70% will come from The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).
The LVRT has over 15 completed miles of trails that extend from the Lancaster County Line through Lebanon City to Long Lane and over 18 miles in total including the Jonestown sections. In the future the goal is that the LVRT will eventually extend from Jonestown to Lebanon. Phase 6 is also currently in the works. That phase is in Lebanon and will go through the John E. Wengert Park and by the Lebanon Valley Mall. Phase 6 will be separated into several phases to complete.
John Wengert stresses the importance of volunteers. Volunteers do all of the maintenance on the trails. John says, “They are a great group of people, and they really do a great job of maintaining the trails.” Since the Phase 10A portion started there have been ongoing issues with graffiti under the Route 22 Bridge. Last summer several volunteers were able to paint over the graffiti with anti-graffiti paint. This made the trail even more beautiful without having to look at the graffiti. The anti-graffiti paint was donated by Sherwin Williams. Cameras were also installed to deter vandalism. If you are interested in volunteering for the LVRT please email Tod Dissinger at Tgdissinger@comcast.net. They are in need of more volunteers for trail maintenance and without volunteers the trails would not be possible.
If you would like to learn more about the LVRT or make a donation please visit their Website or like on FaceBook If you would like to get more involved with the LVRT you may go to one of their monthly meetings. Meetings take place on the 1st Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. in the Cornwall Authority Building at 44 Rexmont Road in Cornwall.
