Newtown Rail Trail Extension Going Before Public

NORTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP, PA —The second leg of the Newtown Rail Trail is going before the public.

The Bucks County Planning Commission is holding an open house Wednesday for residents to provide feedback on preliminary plans for the second phase of the Newtown Rail Trail extension.

The open house will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Churchville Nature Center, 501 Churchville Lane, Southampton.

Staff will be available to provide details on the preliminary plan, as well as address resident questions and concerns regarding the development of the trail.

Plans for the new leg of the trail add about one and a half miles to the existing path, linking Tamanend Park in Upper Southampton Township with the Churchville Nature Center in Northampton Township. The trail will follow the former SEPTA rail line.

The planning commission said the purpose of the open house is to provide an update on the progress of the design of the trail, as well as for residents to review draft plans of the proposed extension.

The draft alignment will be available for review. Photographic simulations will also be on display to assist in the visualization of how the trail will be constructed.

In January, the Bucks County Commissioners approved the receipt of $2.5 million in state and federal grants to help fund the second phase of construction.

Construction could begin in 2024 and last between 18 months and two years. Current estimates put construction costs around $2.8 million.

In the coming years, developers plan to extend the rail trail to Newtown Borough, the end of the line for the former Newtown-Fox Chase rail line.

The first phase of the trail, which runs two and a half miles from County Line Road through Tamanend Park to Bristol Road along SEPTA’s former Newtown Branch rail line, officially opened to hikers last April.

The trail connects at the county line to Montgomery County’s Pennypack Trail, which continues for more than six miles to Rockledge Park.

The trails are part of an 800-mile network of bicycle trails known as “the Circuit” that connects the Delaware Valley.

Patch Staff Writer Jeff Werner contributed to this story.