ODT INCHES EAST, WEST

Peninsula Trail Coalition members, from the left Denis Body, Dan Rugh, Dick Gritman and Chuck Preble, discuss safety precautions necessary to refurbish the last major trestle connecting the Olympic Discovery Trail near Sequim Bay.

Work on last large trestle starts this week

Federal dollars and volunteer hours are expanding the Olympic Discovery Trail.

Clallam County and the Peninsula Trails Coalition are working on sections of the trail through Sequim Bay State Park and extensions westward past Lake Crescent to Fairholm hill.

“It’s pretty exciting to be so close to finishing the trail from Sequim to Blyn,” Peninsula Trails Coalition president Chuck Preble said. “We’re starting to clear the grounds this week for work on the last major trestle connection for the trail.”

The coalition is teaming with the county to use federal funds to refurbish the medium-sized railroad bridge near the Sequim Bay Lodge on the north side of U.S. Highway 101.

“I’d say it is in average condition right now,” Clallam County transportation program manager Rich James said. “The coalition will be putting a concrete deck on the trestle, some railing along its sides and replacing some of the major ties.”

The project is completely funded and Preble said he has the volunteers lined up from his coalition and Sequim Rotary.

“We’ve already finished all the other main trestles like Morse Creek, Johnson Creek and the Dungeness River trestle where Railroad Bridge Park is,” Preble said. “This last one is a bit smaller at 144 feet long and 55 feet above the stream.”

The trestle is one of the last projects to connect Sequim and Blyn with the pedestrian and bicycle friendly pathway. The county also is working to complete the trail through the state park, which leads up to and from the bridge.

“We’re doing construction right now to connect Bugge Way with the state park and we will have a temporary gravel trail through the park that will be available through the spring of next year,” James said. “Then we will be paving and completing the trail from Sequim to Blyn by September 2008.”

Once the Sequim Bay State Park section of the trail and trestle are completed, the ODT will be finished from Sequim to Blyn. Preble said the coalition is working on getting right of way from Blyn to the eastern county limit.

“The Clallam County section of the trail will end on Diamond Point Road, fairly close to the highway,” Preble said. “To get from there to the foot of Discovery Bay is about 7.5 miles.”

He said most of that distance likely will piggyback on Jefferson County roads like Old Gardener Road but an additional mile and a half must be accounted for.

“Jefferson County has really stepped up its ODT preparation,” Preble said. “They are negotiating for the last pieces of right of way to have land available for a trail between downtown Port Townsend to Four Corners on (state Route) 20.”

For now, Preble will be satisfied with giving touring bikes the ability to get off Highway 101 at Discovery Bay.

Sequim to east end

The city of Sequim has nearly completed its portion of the trail from White Feather Way on its eastern border to Railroad Bridge Park beyond its western border.

“The only section we have left is from the Reuse Demonstration Site to Sequim Avenue,” Public Works director Jim Bay said. “The plan right now is to go down Spruce Street to Sequim (Avenue).”

The ODT currently runs from Sequim Avenue east on Hendrickson Road to the park. Sequim did not budget for the Spruce Street connector in 2008, although it was awarded $422,768 in gas tax dollars for the project.

“This is something we are going to work hard toward finishing,” Bay said. “But for right now, we’re going to change those dollars into a street project and use some of our own dollars to match an improvement to our internal infrastructure.”

Preble said it was unfortunate city budgeting didn’t work out for the trail, but said Sequim’s commitment has been strong.

“The city has really dedicated a lot of work to get essential sections of the trail finished,” he said. “I do, however, look forward to a trail completed from Blyn to western Port Angeles.”

Winding west from the Elwha River is the slightly more challenging Olympic Discovery Adventure Trail, which connects with a new county project along Lake Crescent. The rest of the trail meets the Americans with Disabilities Act qualifications for slope and grade.

“We are preparing for an extension from the west end of the Spruce Railroad grade up toward Fairholm hill, which is about 6.4 miles,” James said. “We’re getting closer and closer to the coast all the time.”

To learn more about the Olympic Discovery Trail, visit www.olympicdiscoverytrail.com or grab a bike or some sneakers and hit the trail at one of its many access points throughout the county. Preble suggested visiting some of the previously improved trestles or taking a longer trip from Sequim or Port Angeles.