Chester County pedestrians and bicyclists will soon be able to spread out a little more. Current plans call for adding five more miles to the county’s 22-mile-long network of paved pedestrian trails. Bill Rettew traversed the particulars for the Daily Local News.

The additional mileage is coming to the Chester Valley Trail and the Schuylkill River Trail.

The Chester Valley Trail now stretches 13.5 miles in Chester County, from the Montgomery County border and running through Tredyffrin, East Whiteland, and West Whiteland townships. The plan is to expand this trail one mile to the west.

Bidding and construction will most likely start sometime this year. The cost is estimated to be $1.5 million, which will be paid for using county bond funding, a Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant, and a grant from Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Regional Trails Program/William Penn Foundation.

Meanwhile, the Schuylkill River Trail, which runs through East Coventry and North Coventry townships, will have four miles added to its current 5.75 miles this spring. The extension will cost $6.2 million, and it will be fully funded by federal reimbursement through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program.

In 2021, 477,092 people used the Chester Valley Trail, while 68,225 enjoyed the Schuylkill River Trail.

Read more about the planned trail extensions in the Daily Local News.