20 miles of rail-trail have been completed to date. An ordinance was drafted for County/local approval to enact various rules and regulations for rail-trail operation and for enforcement purposes. The remaining municipalities adjacent to the rail-trail are being asked to endorse this ordinance in early 2026.
The County is trying to secure PennDOT funding for safety improvements in 2026/2027 at street/road crossings with LVRT.
Phase 6: The Phase 6 alignment includes the trail through the John E. Wengert Park across from the former Lebanon Catholic School complex (Phase 6A – completed); Chestnut Street right-of-way, county owned land along the Hazel Dike to S. 22nd Street (Phase 6B – completed). Phase 6C will be the 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 will go to construction in late 2026 or early 2027; full funding is now in place for this nearly $5.0 million complex project. The rail-trail on Lebanon Valley Mall property to the S. 25th Street Underpass is Phase 6D. The Phase 6D long-term easement agreement has been finalized with the LV Mall, and a Phase 6D grant application was submitted to DCED in late November for construction funding totaling $711,388.00. Final design funds are in place for Phase 6D.
A rail-trail reconstruction and rehabilitation project grant application for $1.6+ million was submitted to PennDOT in October for LVRT south of Butler Road to the Lebanon / Lancaster County line.
Phase 8 — Alignment Determined: The preferred alignment is the former railroad bed from Long Lane to the Bunker Hill area. Several easements or acquisitions have been secured from key property owners; four more will be acquired by December 31st. Letters to the remaining property owners were mailed out in January. The County Commissioners approved ARPA Funds for these easements and acquisitions. The estimated overall construction cost for Phase 8 is approximately $4.0 million. Grants will be submitted in 2027.
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 / trailhead at 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 were secured to design this section of the rail-trail out to Lickdale Road.
Phase 10A Construction Project: The project runs from north of US Route 22 to Pine Tree Road, a distance of 0.60 miles. The responsible low bidder is Construction Masters Services out of Reading, PA. Work started in early August and will be completed by the end of April 2026, weather permitting.
Phase 10B Construction Project: PennDOT approved $2.65 million and DCNR approved $750,000 for the project. It is now fully funded and will go to construction in late 2026. Phase 10B right-of-way is also under our control, and the land has been cleared twice by LVRT, Inc. volunteers for hiking and mountain biking. Meetings with PennDOT, DCNR, local public & private officials took place in late 2026 to explore how to safely cross Lickdale Road and how to extend a path through the campground to the existing DCNR trail in Swatara State Park. A DCNR Grant application will be submitted in late April of 2026 for a 21-space trailhead at Lickdale Road where the rail-trail ends.
LVRT’s 30th Anniversary: LVRT, Inc. has hired SmartMarketingMedia to assist with the planning for this celebration and fundraising event on Saturday, June 6th. Stay tuned for more details!