The Chester County Planning Commission launched a public opinion survey about a plan to extend the popular Chester Valley Trail westward across the county.
The goal is to extend the Chester Valley Trail west of Downingtown and ultimately connect with the future 29-mile multi-use Enola Low Grade Trail located just outside of Atglen in Lancaster County. The Chester Valley Trail West project includes eight municipalities: Caln, Downingtown, Coatesville, Valley, Parkesburg, Sadsbury, West Sadsbury, and Atglen. The public survey will aid the planning team in understanding each community’s unique transportation and recreation needs, assets, and concerns. To participate in the survey, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ChescoPlanningCVTW.
In addition to the public survey, the Planning Commission will conduct the first public meeting about the project from 7 p.m.- 9 p.m. Oct. 17 at Coatesville Area Senior High School, 1445 East Lincoln Highway, Coatesville. At the meeting, the Planning Commission staff will acquaint people with the project and solicit preliminary feedback about potential trail alignments.
The Planning Commission is working on a feasibility study and master plan for the Chester Valley Trail West project that will identify and evaluate potential routes for extending the trail westward and connecting with the future Enola Low Grade Trail. It also will identify potential linkages to nearby points of interest and will examine “Trail Town” precedents for using a long-distance multi-use trail to spark recreation-centered economic development. The study is funded in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnerships Program.
“The Chester Valley Trail provides alternative transportation opportunities and recreation in Chester County,” said Brian O’Leary, executive director of the Planning Commission. “The trail helps implement transportation goals under Landscapes2, the county’s comprehensive plan.”
The Chester Valley Trail West project, when built, will serve as a link in a larger proposed interconnected multi-use trail network between Harrisburg and Philadelphia. The trail will connect with the Enola Low Grade Trail and the Northwest Lancaster River Trail to the west and the Schuylkill River Trail to the east.
For more information, visit http://www.chescoplanning.org/transportation/cvtw.cfm or contact Planning Commission Transportation Planner Rachael Griffith, the project manager, at 610-344-6285 or email rgriffith@chesco.org.
