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Northern Extension
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Heritage Rail Trail County Park
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Current Status
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FIRST 1.5 MILES OPEN FOR BUSINESS
A public ribbon-cutting ceremony opening the first section
of the Northern Extension of HRTCP was held August 20, 2007.
This section begins at John Rudy County Park, Mundis Race Road, York, PA and
extends 1.5 miles to Crist Memorial Fields in Manchester Township.
This section has a macadam surface and offers many nice views of the nearby Codorus Creek.
This section is now under the management of the York County Parks Department.
Contact: (717) 840-7440 or www.yorkcountyparks.org.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The York County Rail Trail Authority has begun engineering of Phase 2, which will include a separate bridge across
the Codorus Creek at Emig Road, 2.5 miles of trail, and a parking lot near RT 30.
Construction of Phase 2 is planned to begin mid-2008.
HISTORY
A feasibility study of a Northern Extension of the
Heritage Rail Trail County Park was completed in July of 2003
by the York engineering firm of Buchart Horn, Inc./Basco Associates. 
The study involved thorough investigations of the existing city
streets and bridges from Lafayette Plaza to Smalls Athletic Field,
the east and west banks of the Codorus Creek, and connections to John
Rudy County Park.
Grants received in 2005 from the Codorus Creek Watershed Endowment
of York County Community Foundation and PA Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources have allowed landowner negotiations and preliminary
engineering of Phase 1 (John Rudy County Park to Crist Memorial Fields)
to begin. Engineering of this section was completed in 2006, with construction slated for 2007.
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Project Location
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York County, PA Lafayette Plaza in the City of York
to John Rudy County Park in East Manchester Township.
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Participating Agencies
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York County Rail Trail Authority, Pennsylvania Department
of Conservation and Natural Resources, York County Planning
Commission, York County Convention and Visitors Bureau,
York County Department of Parks and Recreation, City
of York, North York Borough, Spring Garden Township,
Springettsbury Township, Manchester Township, East Manchester
Township, US Army Corps of Engineers.
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Funding Sources
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York County Rail Trail Authority, York County Convention
and Visitors Bureau, County of York, York County Community Foundation, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development,
City of York, North York Borough, Spring
Garden Township, Springettsbury Township, Manchester
Township, East Manchester Township.
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Vision
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In 1999, the York County Rail Trail Authority completed
the construction of the 21-mile Heritage Rail Trail
County Park and turned the management over to the York
County Department of Parks and Recreation. This non-motorized,
multi-use recreational trail draws several hundred thousand
users on an annual basis and contributes millions of
dollars to the economy of York County.
The current trail
ends at Lafayette Plaza in downtown York's historic district.
For several years, the city
has been pursuing the development
of a minor-league baseball stadium at the north
edge of the city along the banks of the Codorus Creek.
The US Army Corps of Engineers also expressed
interest in having a recreational trail developed on
the levees that it maintains as part of the Codorus
Creek flood control project. With the possibility of
a trail connecting to John Rudy County
Park and its significant recreational facilities, the
York County Department of Parks and Recreation also
got behind the concept. Consequently, the feasibility study sites the City of York, the US Army Corps, and the Parks Department as key partners in the development of the extension.
The feasibility study suggests a preferred alignment for the trail that includes following the west bank of the Codorus Creek to the RT 30 Bridge, alterations to this bridge in partnership with PennDOT that would provide for ramps and extensions to the width of the bridge, continuing on the east bank to the Emig Road Bridge, alterations to this bridge structure, and proposed connections to both John Rudy County Park and the new campus of Central York High School.
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The Future
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With the feasibility study complete,
the York County Rail Trail Authority, along with the
other participating organizations, has begun prioritizing the
segments or phases of the trail to be developed. Negotiations
with landowners began in spring 2004 to acquire easements for the
trail. Additionally, the Rail Trail Authority has begun the process of seeking
local, state, and federal funds through a variety of grant programs
for engineering and construction of the first phase of the project.
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