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Trail connection planned at Mayview Road
Connecting parks and communities
$40,000 grant supports planning for proposed trail connection
By Andrea Iglar
A proposed connection between South Fayette and Upper St. Clair aims to improve walking and biking in the communities.
South Fayette Township has secured a $40,000 Active Allegheny grant from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County to help fund design and coordination of a project to enhance trail connectivity.
"This planning process is the first step toward the goal of hopefully completing a connection between South Fayette and Upper St. Clair for safe, seamless walking and biking," South Fayette parks and recreation director Paula Willis said.
The township aims to create a trailhead along Mayview Road that would include a parking lot, shelter/ restroom building, cycling amenities and wayfinding signs.
The trailhead would connect to planned nature trails in South Fayette's Fairview Park and potentially to OTB Bicycle Cafe at Hastings via a Mayview Road crosswalk. The Hastings neighborhood in South Fayette has existing trails.
On behalf of the township, Gibson-Thomas Engineering is working with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to coordinate the crosswalk and to determine what pedestrian and biking improvements could
occur on the state-owned Mayview Road— including a bridge over Chartiers Creek— to make a 415-foot connection between Hastings and the Perimeter Trail in Upper St. Clair.
"Although the connection involves a short distance, it would have a major positive impact by linking existing transportation systems, increasing opportunities for physical activity and providing significant regional connectivity," Willis said.
Once design and coordination are complete, South Fayette could pursue physical improvements and related funding opportunities, she said.
The project ultimately would link homes, businesses, recreational amenities and greens spaces, including Fairview Park, Boyce Mayview Park, the Upper St. Clair Community and Recreation Center, and the Allegheny Land Trust's Wingfield Pines Conservation Area, which spans both communities.
South Fayette Township's Comprehensive Plan, Active Transportation Plan and Comprehensive Recreation Plan all highlight the importance of connectivity and note the lack of safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists.
