Work on Washingotn’s Kewash trail to begin next week Asphalt overlay is first phase in trail plan

By John Butters. The JOURNAL

The resurfacing of the in-city portion of the Kewash trail has been delayed due to rain, but city and county officials say work will likely begin next Monday.

'We haven't put any barricades up because we want to keep the trail open as long as possible,” said Washington Conservation Board Executive Director Steve Anderson. 'But they will likely begin work next week and the city portion of the trail will be barricaded.”

The Washington portion of the popular trail is being temporarily closed for repairs to its blacktop surface. Later this year, a portion of the trail near Willow Pond Park will be closed for additional construction. The plans call for contractor LL Pelling to overlay the existing blacktop on the Kewash Trail from its intersection with Sunset Park to the east side of Highway 1. When completed, the work will also provide wider shoulders and improved drainage along the path. That part of the trail will likely be closed for a week, once work begins.

The $92,000 asphalt paving project will be paid for out of grants already received by the city and the county for its larger plan to make $680,000 of improvements to the community's trail system. In adding the blacktop to the plan, no further commitments of public funds was necessary. The money for the work was available due to bids for the larger project coming in lower than expected and other cost savings, officials said.

The asphalt overlay is the first phase of the larger city and county plan to connect the Washington portion of the Kewash trail with the Kirkwood College campus.

For the western portion of the trail route, the city and county has contracted with DeLong construction to build a concrete path on the unpaved portion of the Kewash trail west from Highway 1 to Willow Pond Park. Earlier this year, the Washington County Conservation Board voted to accept a $300,000 bid and award the contract to DeLong Construction for the trail. Work on the project could begin this year.

Following that, the company will construct a concrete trail spur that would intersect with Lexington Avenue near the Kirkwood College campus. The project would allow students and residents to bike or hike to the campus from Washington on a paved trail.

Money for the entire trail project has been obtained from the state's Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) of $342,000 , the state's Resource Enhancement And Protection (REAP) fund for $100,000, a $1200,00 Washington County Riverboat Foundation grant and matching funds from the city and Washington Conservation Board for $60,000 each.

The city and the Conservation Board began work on the project this summer when conservation board employees removed unsightly brush along the in-city portion of the Kewash trail. After removal of the unwanted brush, the board planted new shrubs and other foliage to create a green border along the trail.