County lends support to tunnel grant request

By RANDY BARTLEY
Staff writer
It is possible the “Brady Tunnel” project will be completed by summer 2022 “If the grant funding gods bless us, we can open the tunnel next year,” said Chris Zeigler, executive director of the Armstrong Trails.

The Clarion County Board of Commissioners Feb. 9 took a step toward that goal by formalizing its support for a grant request to the Department of Community and Natural Resources. The amount of the grant was not specified.

“I have been working on a funding strategy to get the tunnel completed at a faster pace,” said Zeigler. “The Department of Community and Natural Resources opened their grant applications for 2021 and they are due at the end of April. It would be better sooner than later just in case something happens with their portal.”

Zeigler said the DCNR’s Keystone grant would be a bigger pot of money than would be available for non-profits.

The grant would be similar to the Phase One and Phase Two grants.

“I do have $350,000 to use as a match,” explained Zeigler. “That was awarded to Crawford County through the Appalachian Regional Commission.”

The commissioners also approved Zeigler’s letter of interest to the RGC for a $1.5 million grant. She said there is no commitment at this time.

“As a non-profit we cannot apply. It has to be a municipality,” said Zeigler. “The money would go into Clarion County and I would do all of the paperwork. The letter is due by March 15.”

That grant would be for Phase Four of the project.

“The money will be used for the tunnel liner. That is the most important piece of the puzzle,” said Zeigler. “It will stabilize the sides and the roof.”

Zeigler said the last phase will be all of the incidental things that would focus on Shotcrete in the center and the surface going through it.

The total cost of the project is $9 million.

“There is a lot of interest in the project. We did an impromptu walk in 18 degree weather and had 50 people show up,” Zeigler said. “On July 31, we are planning a benefit concert down at the tunnel.”

The 36-mile long Armstrong Trail is located on the former Allegheny Valley Railroad line along the eastern bank of the Allegheny River in Armstrong and Clarion counties.

Thirty miles of the trail, from Rosston to East Brady, is a crushed limestone surface with paved sections in Ford City and Kittanning.

The tunnel was originally built because the old railroad line that ran next to the Allegheny River was subject to landslides. The construction of the tunnel shaved 12 miles off the river route when it was opened in 1915.