Outdoor enthusiasts can look forward to a new and improved trail system next summer, with increased accessibility, slip-resistant tread and locally sourced materials on the upcoming Mt. Dewey trail extension.
Last Thursday, borough Capital Facilities Director Amber Al-Haddad held a public walk-through of the new trail route, followed by a design review with landscape architect Chris Mertl and engineer Brandon Ivanowicz, contractors on the design work.
The three-quarter-mile extension will wrap around the back of Mt. Dewey before connecting to Bennett Street. Mertl planned the route to highlight the area’s natural beauty, follow the contours of the landscape and minimize wetland impacts.
The new route will utilize a variety of trail types to maximize accessibility and account for the composition of the land. “Due to the muskeg and the very soft soils that a lot of the trail will run on, we’ll use geocell stabilization,” Ivanowicz explained at the design review. Geocells are a honeycomb-shaped fabric that provides stability for a gravel pathway.
On its own, said Ivanowicz, “the (gravel) aggregate will disperse and lose itself in that soft soil.” With the help of geocells, the gravel trail will retain its shape and “become an independent unit that just floats on top of the muskeg,” added Mertl.
The design team tried to minimize the use of step-and-run trails, since the community expressed a preference for gravel during a public forum in 2014. Step-and-run trails are comprised of elevated wooden planks with steps between them that rise and fall with the shape of the land beneath. Much of the current Mt. Dewey trail is step-and-run.
In the areas where step-and-run is necessary, the team plans to use naturally grippy yellow cedar covered with seine netting to prevent slipping hazards.
Next summer’s trail updates will be the culmination of eight years of planning and collaboration between the borough, the community and U.S. Forest Service. The borough hopes to complete the project between April and July 2023.
The estimated total project cost is $1.2 million. The majority of the cost will be covered by an $889,786 grant from the Federal Lands Access Program. The borough may provide up to $100,000.
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