BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I ride it all the time with no issues. If you don't want to deal with it, go across the HPB and down Bulter to Inka Dinka Do and then take a right and go down through there. That isn't bad either. Never had a problem on those RR Tracks. Enjoy.

Thanks gg. The north shore trail is much more direct but for years I've been doing hpb to Butler.

Related: Steps taken to move forward on 29-mile Allegheny River trail. http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourallekiskivalley/yourallekiskivalleymore/9111797-74/trail-allegheny-pittsburgh#ixzz3mhJOJFSN It's still going to be a while (years) before a lot of this can be implemented, but hopefully this will all connect some day. Hopefully sooner than later.

I'm on 700x32 road tires inflated to 80#. Riding that ballast is not pleasant. But it's doable. I've even maintained a steady 17 mph along there, just like on a road. But expect to give your fillings a workout.

I used to go through there, but then a couple years ago they freshened up the ballast and it became a pain. So I stopped. (But hey there was always Washington/Friday!) On the other hand after a while you end up with rideable ruts, courtesy of earlier bikers (you included!). I guess we're not there yet.

It is quite smooth these days. I think you folks are a bit dated in your info. Enjoy.

Smooth in parts. Not smooth in other parts, esp by the 62nd street Bridge. Pleased to see 2 other riders riding it with me.

That is pretty smooth through there now compared to how it used to be. Colin used to ride fixed through there on 23s, but I am fine on 25s. I have only ridden on weekends and occasionally after work, but I have wondered now about police along there. Are they sitting along this area? Has that been confirmed?

I was through there in mid-August. Rolled video, but I don't think I ever uploaded it. If I still have it, I'll post a link. Nobody gave me any trouble, and while it was fast, as I said, it wasn't smooth by any stretch of the imagination.

I ride there several times a month and have never seen any RR employees. There is one track crossing, right by the 62nd Street Bridge, and it has a paved road leading right up to it, so while I am not sure if it is technically an "official" RR crossing, it is pretty clearly established, and also seems to be used regularly by fishermen driving down to spots on the river. I'd say that the path gets gradually smoother as you head from Etna to Millvale, and you can usually notice the line that previous bikes have followed to avoid the rough parts of the path.

Last week I noticed they placed RR ties all along the side of the tracks, which leads me to believe they are going to be doing some serious work at some point down there. I am hoping they aren't expanding towards the river with another set of tracks, but I don't know what is going on. If major work is going on, it may not be the best ride down through there.

^ there are new RR ties stacked along some of the track in SouthSide too, so hopefully it's more likely just a maintenance thing instead of a new line.

I saw the ties. There aren't that many. Pretty sure routine maintenance before winter. I don't think this area is patrolled at all. I see a lot of human evidence. Litter. Also in one place a path down to the river. No "no trespassing" signs. And the millvake trail just peters out. No "no trespassing" there either. My guess is railroad police don't care. Etna and Millvale don't either.

I also see locals driving trucks down by the tracks to access fishing spots as well.

The RR ties and other prep work on the South Side might be for this: http://localhost/2015/09/25/south-side-trail-connection-closure-temporary/