​The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today the expected start of the project to rehabilitate and expand the multi-purpose trail near the spillway in Pymatuning State Park. 

Work includes resurfacing the existing Pymatuning Spillway Trail from Fries Road past the Spillway Overlook to Hartstown Road. A new section of trail will be constructed from Hartstown Road to South Chestnut Street in Linesville Borough. Once complete, the trail will be increase from just over one mile long to more than three miles long. 

The project will also include the relocation and repurposing of the historic Messerall Truss Bridge. It will be removed and dismantled at its current location in Oil Creek Township, Crawford County, rehabilitated at a workshop, and reassembled with a wooden deck at Pymatuning State Park. 

The metal bowstring through truss bridge, which once carried Messerall Road over Pine Creek, was constructed in 1876 and has been closed since 1987. In its new location, the bridge will carry the multi-use trail over Linesville Creek. 

Work is expected to start July 26, 2021, weather permitting, and will be completed in the summer of 2022. 

Though the majority of the work will be done off road, motorists may encounter traffic controlled by flaggers. Sections of the trail and the lot near the spillway will be closed to pedestrians and bicyclists temporarily during portions of the construction.

The contractor is Horizon Construction Group Inc, of Sandy Lake, PA. The contract cost is $2,289,000, which is to be paid entirely with federal funds.

This project is considered Phase 1 of the plan to expand the Pymatuning Spillway Trail. The next phase includes new trail that runs from South Chestnut Street to Townline Road. 

Information on the project is available online at www.penndot.gov/district1 by clicking on the Construction Projects/Roadway link under the Resources heading, picking the Crawford County box then choosing the Pymatuning State Park Trail Project tile. The DCNR will also share information on their Pymatuning State Park Facebook page.

PennDOT urges motorists to slow down when driving in work zones, and also to be alert to changing conditions, avoid distractions and to pay attention to signs and flaggers. Drive responsibly in work zones for your safety and the safety of the workers.

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties at www.penndot.gov/District1. 

Information about infrastructure in District 1, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.gov/D1Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov. 

Follow PennDOT’s northwest region on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAErie or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/northwestregionpenndot. 

MEDIA CONTACT: PennDOT, Jill Harry, 814-678-5035

DCNR, Dan Bickel, 724-932-3141

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