Widening Case Study

A trail-widening case study

Here is a spot on the trail where the trail is sandwiched between the creek and a hill. It is about 8 feet wide at this point, and the photo was taken from the end of a bridge, facing north.

Surrounding area

Figure 1a shows just how close the creek is to the trail at this spot. A new trail would probably increase that distance in order to prevent damage to the trail from flooding and future erosion.

Figure 1b shows the same hill from the other side, looking south. The winding curves in the trail are more obvious.

Location

If you want to visit the hill being discussed, here is how to find it.

It is very close to mile marker .6, between Harrison Park and 106th Street.

The second image is from a US Geological Survey topographical map of that spot, showing the hill.

The third image is an estimate of how long the bridge is now based on where the turns in the trail are on the map.

New trail configuration

The new trail needs to take into account how close it will be to the creek to help protect it from flooding events and bank erosion, the fact that the longer bridge will end even closer to the hill than the current bridge, and that bicycles need a more gentle curve to ensure they can see pedestrians approaching.

The image shows a likely route for the new trail. Notice it cuts right through the hill.