Thurston Regional Planning Council senior planner Paul Brewster proposed setting aside up to $1 million in federal transportation grant funds for trail preservation projects in the county.
At Wednesday's TRPC's Transportation Policy Board meeting, Brewster provided an overview of their federal transportation call for projects process. He also discussed the proposal to establish a trail preservation set aside as part of that call for projects.
Brewster noted that the county has 59 miles of developed shared-use paths. These are trails that are paved. Most of this network is in satisfactory condition. However, two corridors, which are 2.3 miles long, are in poor condition and need repair.
Brewster mentioned the Ralph Munro Evergreen Parkway Trail, also called the Old Evergreen Parkway trail system, the oldest shared-use trail in Thurston County. It was developed around the same time the state constructed Evergreen Parkway to provide access to Evergreen State College.
The trail runs alongside Evergreen Parkway from Ralph Munro Road to the state college campus area.
According to the TRPC senior planner, the trail suffered tree root bumps, excess organic debris, and access issues because the entrances have barriers with no means for sweeping equipment to enter.
Brewster added that the trail surface is beyond simple pavement preservation and would require extensive reconstruction work, such as grinding and regrading, to repair it.
One of the options that Thurston County is considering is reconstructing the trail or converting it to a natural surface pathway.
Brewster also highlighted the I-5 Bicycle Trail, the second oldest shared-use path in poor condition. The trail parallels the Karen Fraser Woodland Trail from Boulevard Road up to Pacific near the I-5 on-ramp.
The I-5 Bicycle Trail was constructed by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) in the mid-1980s to mitigate the expansion of Interstate 5.
According to Brewster, there is an agreement between WSDOT, Lacey, and Olympia for the cities to maintain and operate the trail surface. The WSDOT is responsible for maintaining the fencing and landscaping along the trail.
"This is a trail that has suffered quite a bit from lack of maintenance," Brewster commented. "It is not an inviting trail compared to some of our more popular trails." He described that the trail has tree root infestation that has caused excessive cracking, lifting, and stormwater ponding on the trail surface. It also has issues with litter and vandalism due to a lack of upkeep.
The Regional Trails Plan recommended that the WSDOT Olympia region, the cities, and TRPC discuss possible decommissioning this segment and adding a new connection to maintain access to Pacific Avenue, as it parallels the Karen Fraser Woodland Trail.
The Chehalis Western Trail is the other trail of concern. Brewster said it is showing early signs of needing preservation work. There is longitudinal and latitudinal damage to the trail surface, with cracking visible. Bumps and ponds are occurring on the trail from root uplifting.
"This is an opportunity for some intervention to do trail preservation work. That is likely the type of scenario we would see in a trail preservation project addressing," Brewster said.
To address these preservation needs, the Technical Advisory Committee, an advisory body to the TRPC and TPB, recommended allocating between $800,000 to $1 million from the Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) funds towards a set aside for trail projects.
Brewster said they are looking at $7.2 million for Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG), Transportation Alternatives (TA) funding, and $1.4 million for the CRP.
Brewster said the staff prefers to use something other than STBG and TA to ensure availability for other priority transportation projects.
"If left unattended and not taken care of, these uneven surfaces will lead to stormwater pool and further pavement degradation," Brewster warned. He said the goal is to get ahead of maintenance needs to prevent them from reaching a deteriorated state.
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SecondOtter
PLEASE don't call it a 'tree root infestation." That's wrong. The trees were there first, trees put out roots. If you cut down all the trees,it''s no longer a 'trail'. It's a sidewalk. We walk the trail to enjoy the trees, the birds, the nature. Paving them over cuts the tree's roots off from water, nutrients, etc. Just look at the Meeker Oak...it's over 400 years old and the reason it is ailing is because it's roots have been paved over.
Don't blame the trees, blame the mindset of humans that insist something must be paved to be useable.
You can't honestly blame vandalism or the litter on the natural processes of root growth. Vandals and litterers don't give a dam. The trails are just an attractive nuisance to vandals. Look how the graffiti is everywhere, look how our roads are trashed with people dumping garbage, furniture, etc. It's not the trail's fault. It's the knotheads who think it's funny to destroy things. It's the lazy sods who dump garbage rather than take it to the transfer stations. And there is absolutely NO enforcement of the rules for using the trails.
If someone notices a knothead hacking away at a tree or otherwise vandalizing the trail, they call the sheriff Department and are told, well, that's such a low priority, sorry. And they're right...a traffic accident has higher response needs.
If you were to turn the trail back into a natural surface, you would help the ''landscaping'' and the trees. Yes, there would be uneven surfaces and perhaps some people would complain that they can't : skate, ride their bike, etc. But do those same people actually help with upkeep? I haven't seen it.
As an added point: Years ago, I, a horseman, was asked by the Rails-To-Trails organization to donate money for trails on which to ride our horses. I did. I did a lot of volunteer work on pulling up railroad ties and picking up about a million iron spikes. I and my friends worked to create trails-and then...the organizers or the county put in gravel. Gravel is BAD for horses and other creatures with feet. When me and my horse loving friends complained about the graveled trail..the one we put in hours of work on, we were told, you can't ride horses on the Trails. People don't like the horse ****.
Guess who no longer donates a dime or a minute?
And guess how many times I see dog **** on the trail, SOMETIMES it's in baggies, but the baggie is left on the side of the path. As if there's a Dog **** Fairy who magically picks it up? No. It's litter, and just as offensive as horse ****. And mind you, often, us horsemen will go back and pick up our horse's ****.
Make the trails a natural surface, NOT gravel. Hog fuel is okay. Shredded bark is okay. . You might just find that the vandals will give up. Let's hope so.
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