A national trail connecting the three crash sites of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is coming through Jim Thorpe, but borough officials are questioning the proposed route, saying it would funnel cyclists through some of the town’s busiest and most dangerous intersections.

Andy Hamilton, vice chair of the September 11 National Memorial Trail board, presented the plan to Jim Thorpe’s borough council Thursday. The trail stretches more than 1,500 miles and links Arlington, Va.; Shanksville, Pa., and New York City. Hamilton also serves on the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor trail board.

“The September 11 National Memorial Trail is working diligently in this whole region to connect people and connect systems,” Hamilton said.

The trail’s path through Jim Thorpe emerged from a study called the Anthracite Connector Trail, which links the Schuylkill River Greenway system in Pottsville to the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor in Jim Thorpe. That plan is currently awaiting final review at the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. With the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaching this September, organizers are moving quickly to have signage in place across Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.

Council President Connor Rodgers said the borough had only learned of the full scope of the plan recently.

“When I received the feasibility study last week, I was shocked how quick it came back, especially for a 1,500-plus mile trail,” Rogers said.

Route questioned

The borough had initially expected the trail to follow the Switchback Trail from Summit Hill down Packer Hill, cross U.S. Route 209 and connect to the Delaware and Lehigh trail. The current plan instead routes cyclists down Hill Road and onto Broadway; a change that immediately drew concern from council and the police chief.

“We have concerns of dumping a trail off onto our local streets,” Rodgers said. “There’s a conversation to be had about the safety of our pedestrians, visitors, residents and traffic.”

Police Chief Joe Schatz said the proposed intersection near the Opera House is already a daily problem.

“The twist and turns at that specific intersection there at Opera House poses challenges daily, and now we’re going to put bike traffic into that as well,” he said. He added that the department generally tries to keep cyclists out of the congested downtown.

“We always encourage, if you can, stay out of the downtown. We know it is so busy down there,” he said.

The borough had also floated converting Packer Hill into a one-way road with proper paving, guardrails and a designated path for pedestrians and cyclists as an alternative. Rodgers said that outcome would be a significant win.

“If that can ultimately happen, I think that’d be a big win for the borough, big win for the trail and really for the whole project,” he said.

Hamilton acknowledged the current route is a temporary fix driven by the anniversary deadline and safety concerns on Packer Hill.

“Packer Hill is a hazardous condition for cars today, so there’s something that needs to be accomplished there,” he said. He estimated an improved Packer Hill connection could be completed within two to three years, though he cautioned the timeline depends on funding and construction cycles.

“The interim route is more of completing this goal for the 25th anniversary,” Hamilton said. “The bigger project is to accomplish creating the connection, and figuring all that out.”

Rodgers pressed Hamilton on what happens if the funding and construction timeline slips and the borough is left with the interim route indefinitely.

“If we approve these signs and two years come and go and money’s not there, are we stuck with a trail that uses Broadway?” Rodgers asked.

Hamilton said the trail’s state and federal support gives him confidence the Packer Hill project will move forward.

“I really believe, from what I’ve been hearing, that is within a reasonable reality of happening,” he said. The trail previously secured national legislation that passed unanimously in both the U.S. House and Senate and was signed into law.

Hamilton said he understands the concerns about signage in a busy tourist destination. Jim Thorpe welcomed 368,000 visitors through its train station in Josiah White Park in 2025, according to Rodgers, who noted the borough was recently named one of the world’s most underrated towns by U.S. News.

“I know the pressures that Jim Thorpe has,” Hamilton said.

Low initial impact

The practical traffic impact of the trail in the near term is expected to be modest. Hamilton said the largest single group of cyclists likely to use the route before infrastructure improvements are made is an organized bike tour of roughly 20 to 30 people expected around Sept. 11.

“I don’t think there’s going to be a significant amount of traffic,” Hamilton said.

The trail’s deeper purpose, Hamilton said, goes beyond recreation.

“It’s really about helping communities connect themselves and also being able to have that discussion about September 11, what it impacted the country with — keeping all of that real and alive, because it is real,” he said. “I’ve got a dear friend who got a call from her husband saying, ‘I’m not coming home,’ a daughter who called her mother saying, ‘I’m not coming home.’ She was on Flight 93, which flew right over the valley here.”

Council voted to place two items on next week’s regular meeting agenda for action: approval of the proposed sign locations and a letter of support for a grant application to fund engineering for the planning and rehabilitation of the trail. The trail organization already has a $60,000 grant secured and is seeking matching funds.

Hamilton said a separate request for proposals for Switchback Trail engineering work is forthcoming and would come at no cost to the borough.