Over 18+ miles of rail-trail have been completed to date. An ordinance has been recently approved by the County Commissioners to enact various rules and regulations for rail-trail operation and for enforcement purposes. Municipalities adjacent to the rail-trail will also be asked to endorse this ordinance in 2024.

Reconstruction & Safety Improvements: 100% state funds were used to improve 2.50 miles of the existing rail-trail in the southern part of the County, including intersection work at Butler Road and Boyd Street. The work was completed last November. And FirstEnergy Rail-Trail Reconstruction Project: FirstEnergy has paved the trail from the Wilhelm Avenue Bridge in South Lebanon Township to Cornwall Borough. In exchange, that portion of the trail was closed for several months this past winter until the utility poles / lines were replaced.

Phase 6: The Phase 6 alignment includes the future trail through the John E. Wengert Park across from the former Lebanon Catholic School complex (Phase 6A); Chestnut Street right-of-way, county owned land along the Hazel Dike to S. 22nd Street (Phase 6B); a partially relocated S. 22nd Street, a new bridge over the Quittapahilla Creek on S. 22nd Street, existing S. 22nd Street to US Route 422 with intersection operation and safety improvements (Phase 6C); and Lebanon Valley Mall property to the S. 25th Street Underpass (Phase 6D). The JVI Group is the contractor for the Phase 6A & Phase 6B project; work is well underway and should be completed in May of 2024. Phase 6C may go to construction in late summer of 2024; full funding for 6C is now being secured. $90,000 in additional funds was approved by the County Commissioners for Phase 6D final design. A Phase 6D 20-year easement agreement is now being finalized with the LV Mall. The County is also pursuing a grant to study the possible relocation of the 25th Street Underpass to a new overpass just to the west, which would allow the existing underpass to be exclusively used by bicyclists and pedestrians.

Phase 8 Alignment Determined: The preferred alignment is the former railroad bed from Long Lane to the Bunker Hill area. Easements or acquisitions are well underway with key property owners. The County Commissioners approved $300,012 for these easements and acquisitions and for various capital rail-trail improvements.


Phase 10 – north of US Route 22 to a connection to the trail system in Swatara State Park near Lickdale. Phase 10 will include 2.7 miles of rail-trail and a connection to Pine Tree Road in Union Township. Phase 10 has been broken into two projects … 10A and 10B.


Phase 10A and 10B Design: State and local funds have been secured to design the rail-trail from north of US Route 22 to a connection to the trails in Swatara State Park at Lickdale. Wetland issues need to be full addressed.


Phase 10A Construction Project: A state grant of $400,000 was approved by DCNR in 2022 for the construction of Phase 10A from north of US Route 22 to Pine Tree Road, a distance of 0.60 miles in Union Township. It was matched with $400,000 in County funds. It should go to construction in the summer of 2024.

Phase 10B from Pine Tree Road to a Connection with the Trails in Swatara State Park: Grant applications were recently submitted to DCNR and PennDOT totaling $3.2 million for Phase 10B (2.08 miles). The project could go to construction in mid-2025. Phase 10B right-of-way (ROW) is now under our control, and the land has been cleared by LVRT, Inc. volunteers for hiking and mountain biking.