the almanac N O V E M B E R 30, 2025
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
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MIKE JONES/OBSERVER-REPORTER
Barricades and signs have been placed outside the Montour Trail’s National Tunnel announcing its closure Nov. 11 after inspections revealed severe deterioration to the ceiling.
National Tunnel on Montour Trail closed due to decaying ceiling By Mike Jones Staff writer
mjones@observer-reporter.com
Santa Claus will be making his rounds in the South Hills Dec. 4 to 6 to hear children’s wish lists.
ELEANOR BAILEY/THE ALMANAC
Santa Claus coming to the South Hills By Eleanor Bailey Almanac Staff Writer ebailey@thealmanac.net
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the South Hills as area communities will be welcoming Santa during annual light-up night festivities being held this weekend Mt. Lebanon kicks off the celebrations early with Beverly Brite Nite. The annual event will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in the Beverly Road business corridor in Mt. Lebanon. In addition to holiday cheer and extended shopping hours, there will be a visit from Santa as well as a tree-lighting celebration. Uptown Mt. Lebanon follows with its annual Winter Market and Holiday Celebration on Washington Road from noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 6. Held in collaboration with the municipality and the Mt. Lebanon Partnership, the community-focused event features
local artisans and makers offering handmade gifts and food, farm producers with seasonal flavors and favorites, live music, a model railroad and elf scavenger hunt to entertain the crowd until Santa makes his annual appearance. Additionally, the 911 Chili Showdown returns with the fire, police, EMS and public safety professionals serving up their finest recipes to earn votes and claim the title of Best Chili in Lebo. Peters Township and Canonsburg usher in the season on Dec. 5. The Peters Township community recreation center will be Santa central from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. The free evening of activities includes crafts, games, refreshments, letters to Santa and a visit from Santa. Registration is not required. An Old Fashioned Christmas will be replicated for two days in Canonsburg. The town transforms into a winter wonderland from Dec. 5 to 6. Hours are 4 to 8
p.m. Friday and noon to 8 p.m. Saturday. Christmas vendors and markets as well as a food court will be featured both days along with a jingle bar, raffle, reindeer games, face painting, swag sale and greeting card creation station. A gingerbread house contest and a miniature train display are additional highlights. A tree-lighting ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Friday at the borough building. Photos with Santa can be taken on both days at the Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church on Pike Street. Story time with Mrs. Claus will be held at a variety of times at All About Books w/TLC. Visit CanonsburgChristmas.com for full details or further information. In Bethel Park, the annual tree-lighting event has been expanded into a full holiday celebration lasting four hours from 3 to 7 p.m. Dec. 6. at the recreation center located at 5151 Park Ave. Kayla Weiss and Salome Ferreyra, who SEE SANTA PAGE A2
Trophy Time PHOTO BY ELEANOR BAILEY/THE ALMANC
James Spratt (33), Nolan DiLucia (17) and Reston Lehman (14) celebrate Peters Township’s championship crown. The Indians recovered from a 19-point halftime deficit to defeat Pine Richland, 20-19, in the WPIAL Class 5A football final played Nov. 22 at Acrisure Stadium. The title was Peters Township’s second in three seasons and third overall in school history. Spratt, DiLucia and Lehman dominated on defense while DiLucia also directed the offense during the comeback. Turn to page B1 to read all the details of the triumph.
LOCATION USC student earns 1st place at electronic festival PAGE A6 What’s happening, B3
SPORTS P.T. claims WPIAL crown PAGE B1
Classifieds, B4
The National Tunnel, which is considered one of the most picturesque features on the Montour Trail, was closed earlier this month after an inspection revealed severe deterioration in the ceiling near the western portal. The Montour Trail Council closed the 112-year-old tunnel indefinitely Nov. 11 following the inspection as the nonprofit now considers making temporary and long-term repairs in order to be able to eventually reopen it to cyclists and pedestrians who use that portion of the trail through Cecil Township. “We did a cursory inspection of the National Tunnel and it appeared to be all right. Nothing urgent,” Montour Trail Council Board President Julian Wolfe said. “But we noticed some deterioration in the western third of the tunnel. (The engineers) said they were very surprised how much of that portion of the tunnel had deteriorated … and they advised us to close the tunnel.” The 600-foot-long National Tunnel opened in 1913 for the Montour Railroad and burrows below Klinger Road. Located at the 25-mile marker nearly in the exact middle of the 60-mile trail that travels from Coraopolis to Clairton with various spurs, the tunnel is a popular attraction with its curved layout. Signs announcing the closure are now placed about a half-mile from both sides of the portal, along with additional signs alerting people of the dangerous conditions inside the tunnel. Construction barricades are placed at the portals to keep people from going inside, although large cracks can be plainly seen embedded in the ceiling with some debris collapsed onto the paved trail below. The trail in that section is closed and the council is urging people to merely turn around rather than using nearby public roads as a detour.
Wolfe said they hope to examine the deterioration with 3-D penetrating radar imagery, which will give them an idea of what needs to be done to stabilize the ceiling. He suspects they will install shoring towers on onethird of the western side of the tunnel by the end of the year, and then have engineers determine whether it is safe to reopen. “Then we’ll bring the engineers in and determine if we're going to be able to reopen the tunnel. I can’t say for sure,” Wolfe said. “Once the shoring towers are erected, the engineers will go in there and make an assessment. We need people with the knowledge of tunnels, especially with early 1900s railroad tunnels.” But he expects that more robust work will be needed, such as building a steel rink-like liner to support the ceiling, much like the council did in 2023 and 2024 when it repaired the Greer Tunnel on the trail in neighboring Peter Township. That project cost about $1 million and installed 120 feet of metal liner, while the National Tunnel would require repairs to about 220 feet with a price tag Wolfe estimates would be above $2.5 million. “That’s a huge lift for a nonprofits and volunteer organization that doesn’t get tax funds,” Wolfe said. He said the council plans to launch a massive fundraising campaign to help pay for the project, and will also see if state and federal grants are available to help offset the costs to repair the tunnel. Wolfe, who added that the previous repairs to the Greer Tunnel will be a “good template” for this larger project, said major preservation work such as this is just part of maintaining the trail system that is beloved by so many people in the community. “It’s in a section that is very heavily used and enjoyed by the trail users,” Wolfe said. “It’s highly regrettable, but with our experience with Greer, it’s old infrastructure and has to be tended to. … It’s SEE TUNNEL PAGE A2
SIGHTS & SOUNDS Cooks run to Washington for cookware sale PAGE B3 Real estate transactions, A3