Buffalo Valley Rail Trail

Buffalo Valley Rail Trail. . , The Buffalo Valley Rail Trail is the result of investment by the BVRA, Union County, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation., After years of planning and feasibility studies conducted by the county, BVRA acquired the right-of-way from the West Shore Rail Road for the rail line from Northumberland County to Mifflinburg in 2009. The rails were salvaged in 2010 while design was underway for the first phase of the project from 10th St in Mifflinburg to 12th St in Lewisburg. Construction began in spring of 2011. Phase I, including 9 miles of finished trail, three trailheads, comfort facilities, and parking areas, was completed at the end of October 2011. Phase II, including a trail head in Vicksburg and a trail extension on either side of Route 15 in Lewisburg, was completed by the end of 2015. Future phases will improve connections to downtown Lewisburg, the Susquehanna River, and other regional destinations as well as providing more amenities along the trail., The introduction of the trail revolutionizes non-motorized transportation in Union County. As the first developed off-road trail in the area, it provides an amenity entirely absent until now and becomes a crucial component of the transportation network., Whereas before only the bold could venture on foot or by bike beyond the core residential streets of the central municipalities, there is now a protected, well-designed infrastructure spine available to serve all ages and all abilities for both recreation and transportation. The trail alignment parallels Route 45 which is the primary east-west vehicular corridor in the county and similarly serves alternate transport as a core travel route. Driving a car along Route 45 has been the only safe means of getting from Mifflinburg to Lewisburg until now. At long last the community has another option.