Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato this morning announced that McTish Kunkel & Associates will complete the development plan for a 32-mile trail along the Allegheny River between Millvale and Harrison.

The firm will begin the mapping process for the proposed Allegheny Valley Trail, which will connect 18 municipalities.

"We've established a coalition of boroughs, townships, trail groups and greenway advocates to build a continuous riverfront trail that will expand recreational and economic development opportunities," said Mr. Onorato, who created the Allegheny Valley Community Trail Initiative last year.

The role of the consultant will be to help plot the actual course by determining land ownership, identifying challenging terrain, studying potential usage, and evaluating trail linkages, said Mr. Onorato.

The trail partners include Aspinwall, Blawnox, Brackenridge, Cheswick, Etna, Fox Chapel, Frazer, Harmar, Harrison, Millvale, O'Hara, Pittsburgh, Shaler, Sharpsburg, Springdale Borough, Springdale Township and Tarentum.

Other partners include the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Allegheny River Towns Enterprise Zone, Friends of the Riverfront, and Fox Chapel District Association.

Once completed, the Allegheny Valley Trail will tie into the Erie-to-Pittsburgh Greenway and the Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg Mainline Canal Greenway, which follows the 320-mile path of the historic Pennsylvania Mainline Canal.