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One of the most confusing and dangerous sections of the hiking-biking trail between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Md., is expected to get a lot better this summer.

Volunteers from the McKeesport Trail Commission are working with city officials and the Regional Trail Corp. to re-route a section of the trail between Locust and Water streets to avoid a congested, narrow sidewalk along Lysle Boulevard.

"Lysle Boulevard is not a good trail alignment," said Jack Paulik, project manager for the Regional Trail Corp., during a trail commission meeting last night. "It's probably the worst alignment anywhere on the trail. People tell us all the time, this is where they get lost."

The proposed new alignment would take bikes and hikers onto Fourth Avenue --- behind the Lysle Boulevard parking garage, the Daily News Building and the old McKeesport Municipal Building. Parking would be banned along Fourth Avenue, which would be dedicated for the trail and emergency vehicles only.

Mayor Mike Cherepko and Councilman Dan Carr, who was recently appointed to the city trail commission, are working with the trail corporation on the project, Paulik said.

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Between Locust and Water street, trail users are supposed to walk their bikes along the sidewalk in front of the parking garage, Daily News Building, Kennedy Park and the municipal building.

Re-routing the trail to Fourth Avenue --- which parallels the CSX railroad tracks and is mostly closed to vehicle traffic already --- will be safer and easier to follow. A national trail sanctioning group will review the completed plans to ensure they follow "best practices," limiting the city's liability, Paulik said.

Several things have to before the trail route can chance, Paulik said. City vehicles that currently park behind the old Municipal Building must be moved to a parking lot --- currently being repaved --- near the Jerome Avenue Bridge. The Daily News also has to find a new place to park its delivery trucks.

City officials are working on both issues, Carr said, while Paulik said the Regional Trail Corp. is working with the city to apply for grant money to pay for necessary improvements.

The trail commission is also exploring ways to expand the five-mile-long McKeesport-Versailles "LOOP" to connect with Renziehausen Park via Eden Park Boulevard. While the idea has merit, Paulik said, he cautioned that "share the road" arrangements have had a hard time gaining acceptance in the Pittsburgh area.

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In Other Business: The trail commission has discontinued production of its print newsletter in favor of online communication, editor and commission board member Brian Evans reported. A Facebook group has been created and a website is under construction.

Trail Commission members elected officers for 2012-13. Re-elected unanimously were Linda Brewster, president; Kim Ward, vice president; Joyce MacGregor, secretary; and Bob Baum, treasurer.

The trail commission is planning several upcoming events, including a car cruise near the trail's 28th Avenue access area in Christy Park. The commission also will host a brunch on June 24 during the annual Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Greenway Sojourn, a 335-mile bike ride from Washington, D.C., to Pittsburgh. This year's sojourn begins June 17.

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