Westmoreland Heritage Trail supporters hope for cooperation from Norfolk Southern

Supporters of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail hope that Westmoreland County can work with Norfolk Southern Railroad to use a piece of its land for a proposed trail.

Rey Peduzzi, Trafford's former mayor who has been active in developing the trail, asked Trafford officials last week to voice their support for the county working with the railroad. He said the trail will help attract people to area when it's complete.

“When this trail comes in, it's going to be a big trailhead for this area,” Peduzzi said. “When the trail is developed it's one of the pristine trails in the area.”

Currently, plans for the trail have it coming through BY Park in Trafford. Organizers want to extend that down to the Veterans Memorial Bridge near the intersection of Fifth Street and Brinton Avenue. To do that, they would need cooperation from Norfolk Southern to use about 3,800 feet of its property for the trail.

Jeffrey Richards, parks planning coordinator for Westmoreland County Parks and Recreation, said the railroad company currently uses the land as a staging area for railroad cars. Working with the railroad company can take time, but county officials are willing to do the work for the trail.

“The county is quite happy to pursue Norfolk Southern,” Richards said.

Borough manager Rich Sahar will draft a letter of support for Westmoreland County officials working with Norfolk Southern to benefit the trail. Council will vote on it at its next meeting May 3.

Tom McGee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-850-2867 or tmcgee@tribweb.com.