A land-use effort between NETL and the City of Morgantown will offer hikers and bikers a greenway connection to the Mon River Rail-Trail System using NETL property along West Run.

In a new agreement, NETL will allow development of a new access trail on U.S. government land just outside the NETL fence line to connect the city’s Morgan Drive to the rail-trail along West Run. NETL has licensed the area to the City of Morgantown. In lieu of rent, the city will install and maintain the trail that will provide a greenspace connector from the nearby Suncrest residential area to the Mon River Rail Trail.

The plan was developed with support from West Virginia University and the City of Morgantown.  

According to NETL Site Manager Allen Lichvar, the plan includes surface improvements like brush clearing, grading, and drainage.

The conceptual layout for the Morgan Drive trail was prepared by WVU Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture Vaike Haas who has been working on the design with third-year landscape architecture students.

“Securing this easement is an important step in moving the planning process forward and I am happy to collaborate with NETL and the City on this project,” Haas said.

“Already, students have helped refine the proposed 1.6-mile trail corridor which runs through beech-maple woods along West Run and Burris Run. You can see the remnants of an old wagon trail through this area, and, in the spring, there are extensive wildflowers — especially trillium. The 22.6-acre easement will allow access to beautiful views of West Run and the surrounding valley.”

The connector runs through Burris Run Hollow below Morgan Drive where cliffs and rocky fords can be found.  This agreement is complemented by a similar agreement between the Mon River Trail Conservancy and NETL that is seeing improvements to the Collins Ferry Connector trail being made this spring. 

There are more than 24,000 miles of rails-trails nationwide according to the national Rail-to-Trails Coalition that works to bring more tails to more communities.

The new access trail along Morgan Drive will connect to the Mon River Rail-Trail System, which the National Rails-to-Trails Conservancy named to its hall of fame in 2020. Branching out from its nexus in Morgantown, the Mon River Rail-Trail System comprises 48 miles of connected pathways featuring tree-canopied trails along the river, commercial areas with shops and restaurants, secluded excursions along waterfalls and through rocky outcroppings, and vestiges of a railroading and coal-mining past.

“NETL values its neighbors,” NETL Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D. said. “We are happy to be part of a team that will bring them greater recreational opportunities on the Mon River Rail-Trail System by making this land available as a convenient and scenic connector. We were delighted to work with the city, Professor Haas of WVU, and Ella Belling, executive director of the Mon River Trails conservancy to bring this plan forward.”

Morgantown Assistant City Manager Emily Muzzarelli said “We are grateful for this exciting partnership with NETL. One of our City's strategic goals was to integrate publicly accessible green spaces and access to existing trail networks. We want to connect each of our neighborhoods to a trail system to enjoy the beauty and uniqueness of Morgantown, and this partnership makes it happen."

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By using its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.