The first 1ΒΌ-mile section of a recreational trail tying York City and Hanover will offer a separate grass path for horseback riders.

That path will be used to gauge interest in extending the horse path, where space permits along the 16.5-mile trail.

In August the York County Rail Trail Authority is hoping to open a section of trail between Hershey Road in Jackson Township and Hosiery Alley in Spring Grove.

It would be part of the proposed Hanover Trolley Trail. York County and Met-Ed signed an agreement in 1977 that laid the foundation for the trail.

"Through the persistence of local citizens and the authority we are finally going to get some of it (the trail) built some 30 years after the initial concept was laid," said authority chairman Carl Knoch.

The authority is now soliciting construction bids to create the first trail section.

The authority is planning to hire a contractor to construct a 0.6-mile segment of the trail, a 30-35 space parking lot along Hershey Road in Jackson Township and a small parking lot at Hosiery Alley, said Gwen Loose, project coordinator for the Rail Trail Authority.

The contractor will also have to make upgrades to a 0.65-mile section of the trail where gravel was already laid by the Jackson Township Sewer Authority, Knoch said.

The new trail will be very similar to the Heritage Rail Trail County Park, Loose said. The Heritage Rail Trail is a popular spot for people to walk, jog, hike, bicycle and ride horses.

"We're

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thrilled, and we think the public is, too," she said of the upcoming construction.