GAP Closure Extended, Shuttle Keeps Running Through August 20
The Great Allegheny Passage segment closed near Kennywood since July 9 now targets an August 20 reopening, not August 6. The shuttle runs until then.
The two-mile stretch of the Great Allegheny Passage that has been closed near Kennywood since July 9 will stay closed longer than planned. It was set to reopen August 6. The new target is August 20.
The delay comes down to the hillside itself. The geotechnical engineers doing the rock scaling below Kennywood need more time to deal with a particularly challenging section, according to the Great Allegheny Passage Conservancy. Rock scaling clears loose and unstable material that could otherwise slide or fall onto the trail.
The closed segment runs between the Whitaker Flyover, around mile marker 136, and the Port Perry Flyover, around mile marker 138, a stretch that has seen rockfalls and landslides over the years.
The good news for anyone trying to ride through is that the shuttle keeps running. The licensed shuttle between the trail access areas in Duquesne and Homestead will now operate through August 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., seven days a week. The fee is $20 per person, cash preferred, and it is first-come, first-served.
Two more weeks is not what anyone wanted to hear, but a trail is only worth riding if the hillside above it stays put. Take the shuttle, and check gaptrail.org before you go, in case the date moves again.