Near Meyersdale, the Great Allegheny Passage includes several major structures. The Salisbury Viaduct, 1.5 miles north, carries the trail across Route 219, an active railroad, and the Casselman River on a 1,908-foot-long viaduct that rises more than 100 feet above the ground at its highest point; eight workers died during its original construction in 1911. The Bollman Bridge, 1.6 miles south, was originally built in 1871 by bridge designer Wendell Bollman, has been relocated twice, and after being rescued from demolition in 2006 now carries the trail over Scratch Hill Road. The Keystone Viaduct, 2.1 miles south, is a 910-foot-long viaduct that carries the trail 90 feet above Flaugherty Creek, the CSX Railroad, and Glade City Road, with an orange concrete deck tinted to match rust from the aging iron trusses. The Big Savage Tunnel, 9.6 miles south, is a 3,300-foot tunnel with lighting, was the most costly renovation project on the entire Great Allegheny Passage, and is the longest structure along the trail from Pittsburgh to Washington DC. The Great Allegheny Passage, conceived in 1975, is a 150-mile trail connecting Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Washington, DC, through its connection to the C&O Canal Towpath in Cumberland, Maryland, and together they form a significant segment of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail within the National Trail System.

Photo: Bradley Owen

Meyersdale, Pennsylvania · USA