A Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity to Close the Luzerne Gap on the D&L Trail

Sep 08, 2026 | Written by Daniel DiBella

Posted in Trails

Looking northwest across Parrish Street toward rail cars adjacent to Pennsylvania Avenue and Main Street in South Wilkes-Barre. This section of the corridor highlights the proximity of active rail operations to the proposed trail alignment and the opportunity to create a rail-with-trail connection that links the D&L Trail to downtown Wilkes-Barre and the Susquehanna River.

Connecting the Luzerne County Trail Gap

For nearly three decades, Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (DLNHC) has worked toward a vision of connecting communities across northeastern Pennsylvania through the D&L Trail. One of the most significant remaining gaps in that vision is the connection between Ashley Borough and the Susquehanna River, providing direct access to downtown Wilkes-Barre and creating stronger links to neighboring trail systems throughout the Wyoming Valley.

Today, we have a rare opportunity to help make that vision a reality.

Thanks to the inclusion of a trail easement in the proposed sale of the former rail corridor, a pathway remains for transforming this historic transportation corridor into a community asset once again. We want to thank Luzerne County and the Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority for taking this forward-thinking step, which preserves the chance to connect communities, strengthen regional trail networks, and create lasting benefits for residents and visitors alike.

What is a Trail Easement?

A trail easement is a legal agreement that allows the public to use a specific portion of privately owned land for recreation or transportation while the landowner continues to own the property. Typically limited to a designated trail corridor, trail easements help connect communities, link larger trail networks, and provide access to parks, public lands, and other destinations that might otherwise be inaccessible. They are an important tool for preserving opportunities for future trail connections and protecting key transportation and conservation corridors. In this case, including a trail easement in the sale process helps preserve the opportunity for a future trail connection through the corridor, keeping the vision of a completed D&L Trail within reach.

Why This Corridor Matters

The Ashley Borough to Susquehanna River segment represents far more than a missing section of trail. The corridor retains sufficient width within the existing right-of-way to accommodate both active rail operations and the D&L Trail. Historically, the corridor carried three railroad tracks and today supports a single active rail line, creating the potential for a future rail-with-trail connection.

In fact, this is the route DLNHC has identified since 1997 as the preferred alignment for extending the D&L Trail into downtown Wilkes-Barre and connecting trail users to the Susquehanna River. Securing an easement for the D&L Trail would secure a critical link in both the NEPA Trails Network and the 165+ mile D&L Trail, bringing us one step closer to creating Pennsylvania’s longest multi-use trail while expanding recreation, transportation, tourism, and economic opportunities throughout the region.

Looking southeast along Parrish Street in South Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County. Parrish Street represents the proposed endpoint, or starting point, depending on your perspective, of the future rail-with-trail connection. The corridor retains sufficient width within the existing right-of-way to accommodate both active rail operations and the D&L Trail, as it once carried three railroad tracks and today supports a single active rail line.

Beyond its regional significance, this corridor would provide a direct connection for residents and visitors to downtown businesses, neighborhoods, parks, and the riverfront. It would also strengthen connections to other regional trail systems, including future opportunities linking Pittston, the Wyoming Valley, and the Anthracite Scenic Trails Association (ASTA) trail network on the opposite side of the Susquehanna River.

Preserving this route would help create a more connected regional trail system while opening the door to new recreational, economic, and tourism opportunities.

“Regional trails like these are the culmination of decades of work and significant investment from local, regional, state, and federal partners,” said DLNHC Executive Director, Tony Pierucci. “Providing easements for these particular gap segments as referenced in the RFP honors this legacy of public service and ensures Luzerne County communities become the beneficiaries of greater access to the remarkable natural resources in their backyards.”

Why Action Is Needed Now

Transportation corridors are among the most difficult assets to recreate once they are lost. Former rail lines have become some of the nation’s most successful trails because they provide direct routes, manageable grades, and connections between population centers. Preserving access today helps ensure the possibility of future trail development tomorrow.

“This easement is critical to the future of the D&L Trail,” said DLNHC Director of Trails & Conservation, Liz Rosencrans. “Without it, we risk potentially delaying completion of the trail by years, if not decades.”

The inclusion of the easement represents an investment in the future of northeastern Pennsylvania. Preserving this corridor keeps the vision of a D&L Trail connection to downtown Wilkes-Barre within reach and creates new opportunities to enhance recreation, transportation, tourism, and economic development across the region.

View south along the rail corridor in Ashley Borough, adjacent to the former Central Railroad of New Jersey rail shops, an area that has since been reclaimed by natural vegetation. The corridor passes near the Ashley Municipal Building and Kelsey’s Bar & Grill on Main Street, illustrating its potential as a future trail connection linking communities throughout the Wyoming Valley.

How You Can Help

Community voices matter.

If you support completing the D&L Trail connection to downtown Wilkes-Barre, now is the time to make your voice heard. Public input can help protect this easement and advance a long-envisioned trail connection that will benefit residents, visitors, and local businesses alike.

The sale is expected to close on or about October 9, 2026, making community engagement especially important in the weeks ahead.

Take Action:

Thank Luzerne County and the Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority for including the trail easement in the sale process.
Share this story with friends, family, and fellow trail users.
Write a letter to the editor or submit an opinion piece to local newspapers.
Share your personal experiences using the D&L Trail and explain why completing this connection matters to you.
Help spread awareness throughout the community.

Every story, letter, and shared experience helps demonstrate the importance of preserving this opportunity for future generations.

Note: Letters of support may be sent to communications@delawareandlehigh.org and will be forwarded to the appropriate parties.

Click here to learn how you can Take Action

Community Support for Completing the Luzerne Gap

The vision of extending the D&L Trail into downtown Wilkes-Barre continues to receive strong support from community members who recognize both the recreational and economic benefits of completing this long-planned connection.

“The mission of North Branch Land Trust is the conservation of forests, farms, and clean water across Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Land Trust also spearheaded ownership of a section of the Delaware & Lehigh Trail between Northampton Street in Wilkes-Barre Township and Oliver Mills. We know the completed trail will connect more people to an appreciation of wonderful areas of Pennsylvania State Forest. We advocate for appropriate easements on rail lines to complete this long-planned project.”

— Joe Butkiewicz, Interim Executive Director, North Branch Land Trust

In a July 2026 letter to the editor published by the Times Leader, North Branch Land Trust Interim Executive Director and DLNHC Board Member Joseph Butkiewicz highlighted the progress already underway on trail improvements in the Mountain Top and Laurel Run areas. He emphasized that, after more than two decades of planning and investment, the D&L Trail is closer than ever to reaching downtown Wilkes-Barre. Butkiewicz also encouraged local leaders to preserve opportunities for future trail development as part of any rail corridor sale, noting the potential to deliver lasting recreational, wellness, tourism, and economic benefits to the region.

Additional support was expressed in a subsequent letter published by the Standard-Speaker, which called on county officials to use the proposed rail corridor sale as an opportunity to advance completion of the D&L Trail connection. Together, these public comments reflect a shared belief that preserving a trail easement within the corridor would help transform a long-standing vision into reality, linking downtown Wilkes-Barre to one of Pennsylvania’s premier trail systems.

The completion of the D&L Trail has always been a community effort. Preserving the trail easement within this corridor is an important step toward realizing a vision that has been decades in the making. We are thankful for the leadership that has brought us to this point and hopeful that, together, we can continue building a trail network that connects people, places, and history throughout northeastern Pennsylvania.

Take Action. Share Your Story. Help Close the Luzerne Gap.

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