Planning is underway for a northeastern Pennsylvania section of the September 11th National Memorial Trail that is designed to connect users to — not just through — local communities.
Two public workshops are scheduled this week on the project known as the Anthracite Connector between Jim Thorpe in Carbon County and Pottsville, Schuylkill County.
The project manager, Rob Armstrong, described the effort as in the feasibility and planning stage. The work launched in February and featured an earlier public meeting, held in June, focused on this section of the trail honoring those lost in the 9/11 terror attacks nearly 25 years ago.
“It’s going to take time,” he said of the phases and years that completing this leg of the trail will require. “But I think that it will really attract people and be a game-changer for these towns in Schuylkill and Carbon counties.”
The 9/11 National Memorial Trail is a 1,500-mile system of trails and roads linking the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City; the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia; and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, according to its website, 911trail.org: “The trail serves as a tribute to the fallen heroes who perished on September 11, 2001, and the many heroes who committed themselves to the response for their country.”
In the Lehigh Valley region, the trail headed east from Manhattan passes through northern Warren County and the Slate Belt to Easton, then picks up the D&L Trail north to Jim Thorpe. An interactive map of the route can be found at 911trail.org.
Led by Philadelphia-based WSP USA, planning for the Anthracite Connector aims to take advantage of off-road paths like the Switchback Gravity Railroad Trail headed west out of Jim Thorpe and low-speed, low-volume roads through Summit Hill, Lansford, Coaldale, Tamaqua, Middleport, New Philadelphia and Port Carbon toward Pottsville.
The idea is not to create an all-off-road experience but to tie-in to each community, while also celebrating the natural beauty of the area and its rich heritage of providing the anthracite coal that powered the United States.
The feasibility study focuses on limiting the trail to grades of 5% to encourage use by a variety of people, from young to old, while also identifying right-of-way landowners along this 30-mile section, Armstrong said.
“We want this to be about economic development and revitalization for some of the smaller towns,” Armstrong told lehighvalleylive.com.
He noted the opportunity here to help neighboring communities take advantage of the intense tourist pressure on Jim Thorpe during this time of year, as visitors flock to enjoy the quaint downtown amid changing fall foliage, and to introduce them to new attractions like the No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum in Lansford.
Signage for the September 11th National Memorial Trail is shown at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.Photo Courtesy September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is supporting the planning effort with a grant to the September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance, according to Armstrong. WSP, as the planning contractor, is also known for designing the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the site of the World Trade Center in New York City.
DCNR has contributed nearly $1 million in grants through the Community Conservation Partnerships Program to complete and improve sections of the trail in Pennsylvania.
Leading up to the 2026 25th anniversary of the attacks that killed some 3,000 people, Gov. Josh Shapiro last month announced a new initiative to complete legs of the 9/11 National Memorial Trail through 25 Pennsylvania counties and 129 municipalities.
Shapiro directed the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and DCNR to work with local governments to designate on-road and off-road segments as part of the trail and announced his administration sent letters to over 100 municipalities to encourage them to join this effort.
“The September 11 National Memorial Trail represents the life my daughter, Deora, and I had — we loved spending time together in nature,” Debby Borza, board member of the 9/11 National Memorial Trail Alliance, said in a September news release from Shapiro’s office. “The trail gives families like mine the opportunity to walk the path and remember our loved ones that we lost on September 11, 2001, and enjoy the beauty of Pennsylvania.
“My hope is that it continues to serve as a place of reflection and education. With the signs we hope to place along the path, everyone who walks, hikes, cycles, or visits will be reminded of its significance and honor those we lost.”
This week’s public workshops are scheduled as follows:
6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Alvernia University’s Pottsville CollegeTown, 500 Progress Ave. in Pottsville.6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23 in the Panther Valley Junior Senior High School Auditorium, 912 Coal Region Way, Lansford.
Participants are asked to RSVP with Claire Hutchinson at 860-534-0008 or claire.hutchinson@wsp.com. Or they can just show up, Armstrong said.
The workshops are designed to promote interaction between community members and planners, and will feature design boards and a 15-to-20-minute PowerPoint presentation.
Jeffrey McCauley, president of the September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance, said the trail is envisioned as a “world-class experience … to honor those who gave their all for freedom on September 11, 2001; and for their families and first responders.”
“The Alliance looks forward to working with partners and stakeholders to implement this feasibility study to improve the region and the lives of everyone who lives around and between Pottsville and Jim Thorpe,” he said in a statement to lehighvalleylive.com. “The Alliance believes once the 9/11 Trail is developed in this region it will provide a positive economic impact to the region.”
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