EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN
STEEL VALLEY TRAIL Section of the GREAT ALLEGHENY PASSAGE
May, 2017
GENERAL
The Steel Valley Trail is a segment of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP), a non-motorized biking and hiking trail extending from Cumberland, Maryland to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The trail is owned, leased by or operated under an easement agreement by the Regional Trail Corporation (RTC), headquartered in West Newton, PA. Local volunteer groups, such as the Steel Valley Trail Council (SVTC), supervise, inspect and maintain sections of the trail in compliance with Regional Trail Corporation policies. The trail and its owners and volunteers are covered under the Recreation Use of Land and Water Act (RULWA), PA 68 P.S. §§ 477-1-8 (2003).
Nearly all of the Great Allegheny Passage has multiple public access points that are well known and easily accessible to the area emergency response agencies. The Steel Valley Trail portion of the GAP, however, traverses or abuts active industrial and transportation properties that require secure boundaries. Accordingly, emergency access to the five miles of trail from McKeesport to the Homestead Waterfront is limited. The purpose of this Emergency Response Plan is to acquaint Allegheny County and local emergency response agencies with the trail and the available routes to reach persons requiring emergency assistance.
OVERVIEW OF THE STEEL VALLEY TRAIL
Refer to the attached Steel Valley Trail map, updated versions of which can be downloaded from . The section of the trail that has limited access points stretches from Locust Street in the McKeesport RIDC to Marcegaglia in the Waterfront district in Munhall. (The Steel Valley Trail in McKeesport is a share-the-road route through the 10th Ward of McKeesport. The trail in the Waterfront either shares vehicular ways, adjacent sidewalks or the crushed limestone path along the Monongahela River, all of which have multiple access points.)
The entire Great Allegheny Passage is provided with granite vertical mile marker posts for the orientation of trail users and emergency responders. The attached “Mile Marker Locations with GPS and Decimal Locators . . . Sandcastle” form can be used by emergency responders and the County 911 dispatcher to find access points nearest the GPS locations transmitted by the cell phones of those seeking or reporting emergency situations.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE LIMITED ACCESS TRAIL SECTIONS
Beginning at Locust Street in the McKeesport RIDC, the trail is bounded on both sides by continuous chain link fences to the general area of the old “Round House”. Both ends of this section of trail are unsecured and emergency vehicles can freely drive through and exit from this section.
From the entrance ramp to the Riverton Bridge in the McKeesport RIDC to Grant Avenue in the Duquesne RIDC, the trail is bounded on both sides by chain link fences or concrete walls. There currently are two locked removable center bollards at the ends of the Riverton Bridge; the key to these RTC padlocks is available at from the SVTC volunteer and has been provided to the Allegheny County Emergency Services. However, with the bollard posts removed, the bases require that vehicles have at least 8” ground clearance. The same key fits the padlocks securing the six navigation light maintenance gates on the Riverton Bridge.
Unless otherwise noted, all padlocks on the trail are RTC padlocks that are keyed alike.
There are three locked fencing gates between the Riverton Bridge and Grant Avenue in the Duquesne RIDC: (1) near the Riverton Bridge at the end of an unpaved service road, (2) midway between the Riverton Bridge and South Linden Street flyover, reached through an unpaved clearing and (3) in the paved parking lot behind the ARC facility.
The short distance from the ARC gate to Grant Avenue has two fixed wooden center bollards, but these are easily bypassed via adjacent grassy areas or railroad berms.
The trail from Grant Avenue to the North Duquesne Avenue service road crossing in Port Perry is secured by removable center bollards with RTC padlocks.
The ramp up to the Port Perry railroad crossing bridge is protected by a removable center bollard secured with an RTC padlock. There is a 6,000lb weight limit on this bridge and 90 degree turns at both ends prevent MICU access.
The trail from the Port Perry railroad crossing bridge to the Whitaker railroad crossing bridge is bounded on both sides by fencing, concrete walls or gradients impassable to vehicles. Three trailside access gates are available for emergency vehicles: two are reached via Commonwealth Avenue off of Rt 837 through a gate that is locked after normal working hours with five linked padlocks; any one of the padlocks will release the chain locking the gate. One of the padlocks is the RTC padlock. The Commonwealth Avenue service gates adjacent to the trail are currently unsecured. The third trailside gate near the West Mifflin Sewage Authority pumping station is secured with an RTC padlock and can be accessed through Kennywood property via Vale View and Shady Nook Streets off of Rt. 837. The access road through Kennywood is quite steep and may be impassable during icy weather; access is restricted by a locked gate between Kennywood and Shady Nook Street; Kennywood must be contacted to unlock this gate.
The Whitaker bridge is presently unprotected by a center bollard. Both the Port Perry and Whitaker bridges have a vehicular load limit of 6,000 lbs, which, together with low vertical clearance and right angle turns, make them impassable to MICUs and perhaps all conventional ambulances.
From the Whitaker bridge, the trail is open to vehicular traffic via the service road behind Guardian Storage all the way to the Marcegaglia driveway in the Waterfront. The “contraflow” bicycle lane on Waterfront Drive to the apartments is restricted by rebounding delineators, but emergency vehicles can easily drive around or over them. Backing up while a delineator is under the vehicle will damage the delineator and perhaps the vehicle.
At the Waterfront apartments, the trail parallels the river bank all the way to Mitchell’s Fish Market. Emergency access is possible at many points through parking lots next to the trail.
The trail leaves Mitchell’s Fish Market, crosses over to a narrow sidewalk ramp, then enters a widened sidewalk trail that extends all the way to SandCastle. There are fixed center bollards at all driveway crossings and emergency vehicles may be restricted to Waterfront Drive, which is approximately 10 feet from the trail.
There are vehicular service gates along the low fence between SandCastle and the trail; these are secured by SandCastle padlocks. Entering the south end of the trail near CostCo and turning around on this section would be very difficult and backing up might be required. While MICU vehicles cannot use the trail, patient litters can be passed over the low fence if the SandCastle key is available.
The trail crossing at Hays Glen road are secured by swinging gates secured with RTC padlocks.
The swinging gates on the north side of Hayes Glen road are secured with Three Rivers Heritage padlocks.
Ground ambulances can generally use the paved trail, which is 10-12 feet wide, with a narrow berm on both sides, but turn-around points are limited. The availability of ATV or other short-wheelbase patient transport vehicles is recommended unless trial runs of smaller ambulances confirm that they can enter, turn around and leave the trail.
Access by air ambulances is limited by terrain, vegetation and man-made obstacles. In all likelihood, the only suitable landing areas are below the Riverton, Whitaker and Port Perry bridge entrance ramps, behind the ARC building in the Duquesne RIDC and in the large clearing adjacent to the Commonwealth Avenue access gates. Air ambulances should be able to use parking lots and vehicular ways throughout the Waterfront area.
Telephones or emergency call boxes are not provided, but cell phone service is present and is to be used to request emergency services.
EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Medical, police and fire emergencies – Call 911
Steel Valley Trail Council Volunteers – 412-673-9993 (Home) or 412-496-2656 (Cell) or 724-405-7882, a web based paging system.
Regional Trail Corporation - 724-872-5586
Allegheny Trail Alliance - 888-282-BIKE
Revised, May 2017