After years of planning, the Neal Run Restoration & Rail Trail Project is getting closer to being funded! Over a decade ago, AWARE had the idea of repurposing the old Jacksonville Branch of the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad. This railroad carried the coal from the R&P mines in the area to Pittsburgh, the Great Lakes, and elsewhere during the heyday of mining. With the closing of the mines, this railroad was no longer needed. The new Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program (AMLER) administered by the Office of Surface Mining is a great fit for this project. This program can not only develop the multiuse trail, but funds can be used to reclaim the abandoned coal refuse piles around McIntyre along with constructing additional treatment components at the Neal Run Passive Treatment System. More information will be available in the coming months as the project continues to be developed.
