“We are the epicenter, in Connellsville, of the bike-trail universe,” said Laura Kurtz Kuhns, Fay-Penn Industrial Development Council executive director.

At a public meeting Monday, Connellsville Mayor Greg Lincoln said a plan to expand tourism around an iconic railroad bridge project could transform the city into “the Breezewood of the trail system.”

Located at the junction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Interstate 70 and the Lincoln Highway, Breezewood became known — decades ago — as “the town of motels” and “the traveler’s oasis.”

The public meeting packed the Connellsville Senior Center as residents sought information about the Iron Horse Bridge Park project.

Fayette County Commissioner Scott Dunn led the meeting.

Representatives of state and federal elected officials attended, as did staffers from PennDOT and the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

It also attracted people with trail-related business goals, including Kevin Leonard, who is planning a micro-resort on the West Side; Greg Botta from the Comfort Inn Hotel group, which is planning an event center, winery and restaurant next to the hotel; and Shawn Pilla, co-owner with Terrance “Tuffy” Shallenberger, of a large swath of West Side property.

Commissioners Dave Lohr and Vincent Vicites attended, as did District Attorney Richard Bower, Recorder of Deeds Jon Marietta and city council members Bob Topper Jr., Carol Tiberio and Ethan Keedy.

City, county and Connellsville Township officials have high aspirations for the Iron Horse Bridge Park project and are pursuing $2 million for planning and design through the U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE grant program.

RAISE is an acronym for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity.

If awarded, the next step will be to seek a $25 million RAISE grant to implement the plan, which involves development of the bridge park and trail expansion to attract tourists into Connellsville Township and the city’s East Side business district.

RAISE grants do not require a local money match, Dunn said.

The overall project would tap into two major assets, the Great Allegheny Passage trail and the Youghiogheny River, both of which pass through the city’s downtown business district.

Fay-Penn will submit the grant application and the city will be the applicant. Lincoln said he expects city council to support the effort with action during its Feb. 21 meeting.

Connellsville Township Supervisor Todd Miner said the project will open the door to the Westmoreland County trail system. The existing Coal & Coke Trail runs from Mt. Pleasant to Scottdale.

Kurtz Kuhns has envisioned an even broader scope, connecting the under-development Sheepskin Trail on one end of the GAP and the other end to West Virginia trails.

She said the ultimate goal is creating a loop from the GAP in Connellsville, through West Virginia to Cumberland, Md., and along the GAP back to Connellsville.

Based in Raleigh, N.C., Kimley-Horn & Associates — a planning and design engineering consulting firm, is preparing the RAISE application.

Kimley-Horn also has an office in Pittsburgh, and a representative from it attended the meeting.

The application is due next month, and awards will be announced in June.

Ken Remenschneider, a landscape architect with the firm, attended the meeting and provided details about the proposed project.

He said the firm is familiar with the RAISE program and has been successful in obtaining grants through it.

The RAISE program is supported by $1.5 billion, with half each going to urban and rural projects.

As a small city combined with a rural township, the Iron Horse Bridge Park project would fit into the latter category.

Kurtz Kuhns said few rural projects are of the Iron Horse Bridge Park project’s caliber.

Remenschneider said the project matches every aspect of the terms described in the RAISE acronym.

For example, he said lighting in the park would be fueled by sustainable solar power.

In terms of rebuilding American infrastructure, the park would provide pedestrian and bicycle transportation on a bridge that once carried trains.

Dunn — leading the project effort — said the Iron Horse Bridge Park plan was born of a question by John Irwin: “Who owns a railroad bridge?”

Irwin, a retired state trooper, hold board seats with the Yough River Trail Council and Regional Trail Corp.

Working with City Clerk Vern Ohler, the county learned the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad holds a long-term lease on the bridge, as well as deeded property north of the bridge that runs along an abandoned rail line to Narrows Road in the township,

At present, Wheeling & Lake Erie is exploring its ability to transfer the lease, Dunn said.

“We wanted to see how we could use the railroad bridge at Martin’s as not only a crossing, but also as a tourist destination,” Dunn said Monday. “And that plan has evolved with the help of Fay-Penn.”

If the planning grant is obtained, more meetings to gather public input will be scheduled.

Remenschneider said he has never seen a public turnout so large at an open house for a project during his career.

Lincoln called the project a really big deal that will be an “amazing and impactful thing, not only for Connellsville and Connellsville Township, but Fayette County.”

“All of us are going to benefit if this grant goes through,” he said.

He said the bridge frequently is in the background of wedding and graduation photos, and if the project is completed, people will be able to go up on the bridge and photograph out.

“I’m just so excited that this thing is actually happening,” Lincoln said.

He cited Ohler’s effort to transform the trestle into a tourist attraction.

“I just want to thank Vern. He works very hard for the city,” said Lincoln, who noted the importance of the trail. “… If we didn’t have the trail, we wouldn’t have the things we have now in the city.”

He said trail users love to explore the city and to spend money in Connellsville.

“This trestle right here is going to give them another place to explore,” the mayor said.

Miner said it’s a wonderful opportunity.

“I can’t wait for it to happen,” he said. “It is going to happen.”