A several-mile section of the Great Allegheny Passage will close Monday between Ohiopyle and Confluence for the replacement of a culvert that carries runoff water beneath the hiking and biking trail to the Youghiogheny River.
Ohiopyle is at milepost 72 on the trail; Confluence is just upstream from milepost 62. The conservancy said it hopes to have the culvert replaced and the trail reopened by April 28, at the latest. The project is being done by contractors for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Although the work will be done between mileposts 68 and 69, the trail will be closed at the Ramcat Trail Head, outside of Confluence. There is no detour available “because of the narrow and steep conditions in this remote location,” according to the Great Allegheny Passage Conservancy, the organization that maintains the 150-mile trail between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Md.
The conservancy said cranes and other heavy equipment will need to use the trail to remove and replace the culvert.
“The project area is extremely dangerous and entirely impassable. Additionally, there is a steady stream of construction vehicles and heavy equipment running near this section of the GAP,” the conservancy said.
The culvert replacement is the last of five similar projects inside the park since 2022, and the only one that has required the closure of the trail to all travelers, the conservancy said. The total cost of replacing all five culverts was estimated at $580,000.
“These improvements will help Ohiopyle State Park avoid catastrophic failure of these culverts and much lengthier, unplanned closures,” the conservancy said.
Updates on the work can be found at https://gaptrail.org.
The conservancy suggests that through-travelers contract a trail outfitter about shuttles between Ohiopyle and Confluence. Some of them are Bill’s Car Service, WheelzUp Adventures, Maple Leaf Outfitters, Wilderness Voyageurs and or Yoder’s Guest House.
Part of the trail system also is closed in Pittsburgh, where the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is rebuilding a section between Point State Park and the Monongahela Wharf.
First Published: February 11, 2023, 9:01 p.m.
Updated: February 11, 2023, 9:08 p.m.
