Mount Dewey trail extension slips to next year

The million-dollar project to extend the Mount Dewey trail, add a parking lot off Bennett Street for the new portion of the trail and connect the Volunteer Park Trail to Ishiyama Drive has been pushed back to next year.

In addition to resolving a federally required payment to a mitigation bank as compensation for filling in a small amount of wetlands in the work area, borough officials need to wait for further analysis of a slope on Mount Dewey above Third Street that shows signs of soil movement.

A geologist was in town in May for another assignment and reviewed the area on Mount Dewey, Amber Al-Haddad, borough capital facilities director, reported to the borough assembly for its June 28 meeting.

“Upon further investigations within the timbered area along the upper sections of the slope, there is evidence of historical movement, unvegetated scarps and traverse cracking,” Al-Haddad reported. “The area appears to be steepened soil or remnant landslide slope between areas of relatively shallow bedrock.”

The assembly on June 28 approved a $52,162 contract with the geotechnical consulting firm Shannon & Wilson to conduct borings and rock core samples to learn more about the slope stability and prepare recommendations to stabilize the area.

“We’re doing some investigative work to understand the stability of those soils,” Al-Haddad said. The drilling will be at 2½-foot intervals, going down about 15 feet, she said.

The trail extension will come up the backside of Mount Dewey and does not cross the unstable area. But it connects to the existing trail, which goes past the slope.

About 90% of the total project cost is federal money, with the borough spending some of its share of the state cruise ship passenger tax to cover the required local match.

The project timeline now shows — after the geotechnical work — final design by October, construction bids this winter, and starting work on the ground as soon as weather allows next spring, Al-Haddad said. The borough originally had hoped for construction this year.

Meanwhile, the borough expects to hear soon from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on how much Wrangell will need to pay into a mitigation bank to compensate for the loss of 0.55 acres of wetlands that will be filled in for the trail extension and parking lot.

The Army Corps regulates fill permits and generally requires compensation to pay for the loss of wetlands, directing the money toward restoring other lands.

 

Reader Comments(0)