The Chester County Commissioners announce that a brief program and ribbon cutting marking the opening of phase three of the Chester Valley Trail will take place on Thursday, September 25, 2014.

The opening extends the Chester Valley Trail Trail, which will eventually link with Philadelphia Art Museum, to 13.5 miles long will eventually link with Philadelphia Art Museum

The program and ribbon cutting will take place at 10:30 a.m. at the Exton Park Trailhead of the Chester Valley Trail on Church Farm Lane.

Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Ellen Ferretti, will be joining the Commissioners at the official opening.

Phase three of the Chester Valley Trail is approximately 1.2 miles long and runs from the Exton Park site on Church Farm Lane, west to Iron Lake Boulevard in Exton.  Funding for phase three was provided through a $500,000 grant from DCNR’s Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, and a second $500,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation, administered by the Delaware Regional Planning Commission through the Regional Trails Program.

The completion of phase three of the Chester Valley Trail increases Chester County’s contribution to The Circuit, the region’s developing trail network, which currently connects 250 miles of trails throughout the Greater Philadelphia area in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  The Circuit is aiming to connect 750 miles of trails throughout the region, which will more easily connect people to jobs, recreational opportunities, public transportation and other neighborhoods.

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Top photo credit: Chester County Planning Commission via photopin cc