MORE COMING? — Additional improvements could be in the works for the Panhandle Trail, as Weirton officials plan to apply for funding to support new paving and the inclusion of a pedestrian bridge to connect the trail with an area of downtown Weirton. -- Craig Howell

WEIRTON — More improvements could be on the horizon for an area recreational trail.

Weirton officials are set to consider applying for a grant through the West Virginia Department of Transportation to develop further enhancements to the Panhandle Recreation Trail.

“We put together a Transportation Alternatives Program grant application,” explained mark Miller, the city’s planning and development director.

The goal, if funding is awarded, is to pave an additional three-quarters of a mile on the trail path, heading toward the city from the primary trail station near the Harmon Creek exit of U.S. Route 22, as well as develop a pedestrian bridge crossing into the city to connect with Cove Road in the area of Overbrook Drive.

“We’re trying to get the trail into the city,” Miller said, noting he often hears of people using the trail asking where it leads.

The grant application is set to go before Weirton Council for consideration Monday.

According to the West Virginia Rails to Trails Council, the Panhandle Trail follows the path of an old Conrail line, with the trail stretching approximately 29 miles from Weirton to Carnegie, Pa. It crosses the Montour Trail near McDonald, Pa., which then connects with other trail networks to eventually lead to Washington, D.C.

The West Virginia portion of the trail is managed by the Weirton Board of Parks and Recreation, with support from a group of local volunteers.

Miller noted he has been working with Coty Shingle, director of Weirton Parks, to develop the city’s application.

“You’re looking at probably a $2 million project,” Shingle said during the Park Board’s recent meeting, estimating design work could range from $250,000 to $500,000, with the bridge costing at least an additional $250,000.

The paving would take up the balance of the project, Shingle said.

Such an idea has been discussed by various groups in the past, with some proposing the use of an existing bridge structure to cross Harmon Creek into Weirton. Shingle, however, said he doubts the existing crossing is viable at this point.

The Park Board previously was awarded a TAP grant in 2018, which, along with funding provided by Weirton Council, local county commissioners, the Park Board, and he J.C. Williams and Mary Jane Brooks foundations, spurred the original paving project on the trail, beginning at the Pennsylvania state line and traveling just past the Harmon Creek trail station.

“We’ve been pretty successful at getting grants,” Shingle noted.

There is no definitive timeframe for the project, with work based on the awarding of the grant.