NANTY GLO, Pa. – Representatives from local and state organizations gathered Monday to celebrate the completion of the first phase of the final section of the East Coast’s largest rail loop.
They huddled during a ribbon-cutting ceremony under the new culvert on Church Street, near the North Street trailhead of the Ghost Town Trail.
The cast-in-place concrete viaduct provided shelter from the elements, while speakers advocated the benefits of outdoor recreation in the area and what the project’s completion means for the region.
“It was so exciting to see everything come together,” said Cliff Kitner, executive director of Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority.
He said the project could not have gone better from its start in September to its completion in mid-November.
This phase of the project included the construction of approximately a half mile of trail and the installation of the box culvert under the roadway. The cost of that work totaled approximately $900,000.
Engineering services were provided by Keller Engineers Inc., and Cottle’s Asphalt Maintenance Inc. carried out the work. Kitner praised both companies for a job well done.
Kitner also spoke about the importance of outdoor recreation to the area and the state. He said the outdoor industry contributed $19 billion to Pennsylvania last year, up 10% since 2022, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
A highlight of the new culvert is the use of rocks from the former Red Mill Bridge abutment, which now form the path leading to and from the Church Street structure. Inside the tunnel, the concrete was colored and designed to resemble those stones.
Cambria County Commissioner Thomas Chernisky praised the work of the CCCRA and the expansion of outdoor recreation in the county.
He said when he talks to businesses looking to expand in Cambria County, they ask about the county’s success in outdoor recreation, Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center’s Level 1 trauma center and public transportation.
“We’re winning here in Cambria County,” Chernisky said.
Other speakers included state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources regional advisor Lindsay Baer; Cambria County Commissioners Scott Hunt and Keith Rager; state Rep. Jim Rigby, R-Ferndale; state Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Richland Township; and CCCRA board chairman Thomas Kakabar.
Everyone said that trail development is underway, that the CCCRA has made great strides to improve the area, and that the trail loop will be a benefit to the region.
Langerholc said Cambria County is the best when it comes to these projects and he is proud to support government and outdoor recreation development. He also pledged to continue helping pursue trail maintenance funding, citing a $100,000 grant he provided to the CCCRA in October.
The next phase of the Ghost Town Trail expansion project includes coal waste remediation work, similar construction to the first phase, and the completion of the final 1.5 kilometer route east toward Nanty Glo, where it will host the Ghost Town Trail C&I extension Town Trail will meet. from Ebensburg.
Kitner said the goal is to open the loop in 2025.
