The Pedestrian Walkway on the Bernheisel Bridge

When the A.T. in the Valley was taken off the roads and turned into a true trail in the early 1990s, the trail crossed the Conodoguinet Creek over the Bernheisel Bridge, near the Scott Farm.  This was a dangerous crossing for hikers, because there was no berm to walk on and considerable vehicular traffic.  CVATC worked for five years to remedy this problem, along with our partners the Cumberland County Commissioners, PennDOT, ATC and the National Park Service.

In 1993, a grant was secured to build a walkway through the Federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA).  The walkway was attached to the south side of the bridge via cantilevered supports.  Finally, on May 31, 1997, the new walkway was dedicated at a ceremony attended by representatives of all of the partners with over 200 attendees.  Participants in the ribbon cutting included Nancy Besch, Chair of Cumberland County Commissioners; Janice Slaybaugh, President of CVATC; Pat Vance, PA State Legislator; Mike Ryan, Deputy Secretary, PennDOT; Dave Barr, ATC Mid-Atlantic Vice Chair; and Bob Gray, Chief Ranger, NPS.