Solebury Awarded $1 Million Grant for Aquetong Spring Park

The completion of the Route 202 Trail in Aquetong Spring Park will be funded in part by a $1 million grant from the state Department of Transportation. PennDOT's Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside program helps pay for pedestrian and bicycle trails, and the Aquetong Spring Park trail is one of 82 qualifying projects across Pennsylvania.

The Aquetong trail will run alongside Route 202 from the northern border of the park to the parking lot on Lower Mountain Road, part of a larger plan to complete the Route 202 Cross-County Trail. The TA Set-Aside grant, along with other grants and Township matching funds, will cover the cost of this $1.6 million project.

Aquetong Spring and its environs are one of Solebury's most important natural resources, encompassing the history, culture and natural beauty of the township. For well over two decades, Solebury residents, volunteer committees and township supervisors have dedicated their efforts to the restoration of Aquetong creek and stewardship of the historic spring.

Since acquiring the land from the state in 2009, Solebury removed a dilapidated civil war era dam and began restoring the stream flow and creek bed to their natural state. The Aquetong Spring Park project aims to restore native plants to the area and create many opportunities to bring people into the restored environment through an extensive trail system.

The Route 202 trail is part of the comprehensive plan for passive recreation for the park, which envisions an extensive trail system with ADA-compliant and natural mulched walking paths, picnic areas, a living classroom, and other natural activities.

You can stay up to date on this ongoing project by visiting the Aquetong Spring Advisory Committee's page on the township website.