West 11 Street Park

Trail Remediation Project

The Problem

About 1 mile of woodland trails crisscross through the forest at West 11th Street Park. Nature lovers, dog-walkers, parents introducing their children to nature, and people looking for a little peace at the end of a busy day use these trails.

Because the park is in a low-lying wetland area, it retains a lot of water after a rain. During the wet summer and spring of 2007, the trails were largely unusable on most days. Even on the best
days, however, the trails are not easily accessible to people with any kind of mobility problems.
Easy fixes like mulch or sand are not the answer. These approaches only last a short while, they tend to dam up water even more, and they do not resolve the problem of making the park accessible to everyone. We went to recognized trail experts to get the best possible advice on how to improve our trails.

Right: Trail at Shelterwood and Woodbrook after August rainstorm. Below Right: Trail at Edith Moore Sanctuary. Below Left: Fly ash trail in Ann Taylor Park.

Goals of the Trail Remediation Project at the West 11th Street Park

• Trails should be usable year around despite bad weather.
• At least half of the trails should be ADA compliant; i.e., accessible to people with limited mobility.
• The trails should be cost-effective, durable, attractive, and easy to maintain.
• The trails should not interfere with the ecology of the forest or with the natural flow of water through the property.

Segment of Trails	Treated Lumber Boardwalk	Fly Ash (built up grade with culverts)
Outer Loop (8' wide, 2,225' long)	$164,100.00	$45,000.00
5% Contractor Contingency	8,205.00	2,250.00
5% for HPB Project Management	8,205.00	2,250.00
Total Outer Loop	$180,510.00	$49,500.00
Connectors/Inner Loop (6' wide, 2,795' long)	$155,205.00	$39,758.00
5% Contractor Contingency	7,760.25	1,987.90
5% for HPB Project Management	7,760.25	1,987.90
Total Inner Loop	$ 170,725.50	$ 43,733.80
Total for Both Loops	$351,235.50	$93,233.80

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