EAST BRADY — Efforts to create a unified bike trail from Erie to Pittsburgh are facing an uphill battle, but leaders of regional trail associations believe it can be done.

The Allegheny Valley Trails and the Armstrong County Rails to Trails associations hope to connect their respective routes to create a continuous path from Titusville, Crawford County, to Rosston, Armstrong County.

Those associations are two of 14 groups working to form a bicycle route across Western Pennsylvania from Erie to Pittsburgh, which already has a trail that connects to Washington D.C.

About a nine mile gap exists between the Allegheny Valley and Armstrong trails between Parker and the area north of East Brady.

“We’re hoping to meet somewhere in the middle,” said Debra Frawley of the Allegheny Valley Trails Association, which is based in Franklin.

But both trails also have other gaps to finish.

Frawley said the Allegheny River Trail spans about 34 miles from Franklin to Parker. The trail is mostly completed, except for a 3-mile stretch from Emlenton to Foxburg.

The trail north of Franklin to Titusville is also about halfway completed.

Frawley said the association plans are to build a trail along both stretches, but it must work with property owners for land rights.

“Landowner negotiations tend to take a while,” she said, adding there is no timetable on when the section could be finished.

Frawley said there are eight property owners along the 3-mile stretch between Foxburg and Emlenton.

While riders can get from Emlenton to Foxburg by using Route 268, finishing the trail would create a continuous 34-mile bike trail.

“We’re filling in the gaps,” Frawley said.

Toni Henry of Armstrong Rails to Trails said her association also is working to fill in gaps, specifically around East Brady.

The Armstrong Rails to Trails route is completed from East Brady down to Rosston, which is a couple miles southwest of Ford City. The about 30-mile trail passes through Templeton and Kittanning.

But the route breaks in East Brady, separating it from a portion of the trail known as the Catfish trail north of the small borough.

The shortest route to connect the two pieces of trail would be to reopen the East Brady tunnel, a 2,468 foot long former railroad tunnel that was built in the early 1900s to bypass Bradys Bend.

However, that tunnel is closed for safety reasons and would require a hefty bill to fix.

“We believe it would cost an estimated $10 million to fix it,” said Ron Steffey of the Armstrong Rails to Trails Association.

Steffey said the association is doing a feasibility study on the tunnel, but said it is clear it needs repair work.

“Both portals are in bad shape,” he said. “The northern entrance has a skylight. Tunnels aren’t supposed to have skylights.”

Another route of the trail does begin to follow the river around Bradys Bend, but the rights to a section of it are missing.

“We’re looking to acquire land around East Brady through the purchase of private property,” Henry said. “Ideally we could do both.”

Completing the trail is not just a benefit for bicyclists in the region.

“We try to bring tourism to the area,” Henry said. “In a little town like East Brady — there’s been no industry here for a long time. Our natural resources are what we have here.”

Henry said the small businesses in the area greatly benefit from bicyclists and the river crowd.

“I think it is essential,” she said of the trail. “The river traffic is nice, but a lot of people use our beautiful bike trail and stop for lunch. We try to get people off the trail and into town.”

Mike Vereb, manager of the Foxburg Inn in Foxburg, said the small borough greatly benefits from the trail.

“We get a lot of traffic in Foxburg and Emlenton because of the current trail,” he said. “People stop and stay in the hotel and eat at our pizza shop. Filling in the gap would make a significant difference.”

Vereb said tourism is a big part of Foxburg, adding the Foxburg Country Club and fishing along the river add to the biking and boating crowds.

“We’re a destination for the Pittsburgh and Cleveland markets,” he said.

Henry said she witnessed the growth of the small towns along the trail connecting Pittsburgh to Washington D.C.

“I’ve ridden from Pittsburgh to D.C., over the years, and every year the small towns along that trail get more shops,” she said. “I’m very familiar with the towns because of the trail.”

Henry said she believes the trail will one day be connected.

“It’s a long process and it will take a lot of people to make it happen,” she said. “It could take 10 years or more. It could be faster.”