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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?
Phase 1A, which includes construction of a small pedestrian bridge and approximately
0.1 mile of macadam trail, will be constructed in the summer of 2009. 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, is nearing completion.
Construction of Phase 2 is planned to begin early in 2010.
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 allowed engineering of Phase 1 (John Rudy County Park to Crist Memorial Fields)
to begin. Engineering was completed in 2006, and construction was completed in 2007.
Phase 1A, which includes construction of a small pedestrian bridge and approximately
0.1 mile of macadam trail, will be constructed in the summer of 2009.
Phase 2, which includes construction of a bridge across the Codorus Creek, 2.5 miles of trail, and a
parking lot near the intersection of RT 30 and Loucks Mill Road, is set for construction in 2010.
The final two phases, which will complete the connection to the existing Heritage Rail Trail County Park
at Lafayette Plaza in downtown York, continue to be advanced by the efforts of North York Borough to
acquire and install a PennDOT recycled bridge across Willis Run and by the efforts of York City Redevelopment Authority
to acquire properties and prepare the City's Northwest Triangle area for a major redevelopment project.
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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.