Update, 5/24/2019: The S. Westchester Lagoon Bridge will be 100% open for good by 5:30 pm today, Friday May 24th!
Stay tuned for the ribbon cutting event - to be scheduled soon!
Please use caution at the trail to bridge transitions. Crews will return in spring to pave the asphalt layer over the concrete surface and finish other construction-related items. (There will be a spring closure, start date is weather dependent).
The third phase of a multi-year construction project to replace trail bridges began on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail on Monday, October 15, 2018. **Construction schedule depends on weather conditions. Bridge will re-open for winter trail use after installation on Dec. 28th with surface paving to be completed in spring 2019.
The Spring 2019 construction closure will start at the “Y” intersection of the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail and Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail of the Westchester Lagoon and end on the west side of the railroad tracks.
These closures require variable detours. Message signs will direct trail users to suggested detour routes for the bridge, as shown on map.
Please click on the image below to view the full detour map.
Coastal Trail Bridge Replacement (Multi-year Improvement Projects)
As a result of a pedestrian bridge failure at Westchester Lagoon on June 16, 2014, Parks & Recreation contracted engineers to complete a structural analyses of the pedestrian bridges along the entire Coastal Trail. The Department received two final structural assessments:
1. North Lagoon Bridge Failure Assessment (4 MB)
2. Coastal Trail Bridge Assessment (remaining 4 bridges) (8 MB)
3. Construction Documents (3 MB)
These reports provided a very detailed assessment of the cause of failure for the North Lagoon bridge as well as the current condition of the remaining four Coastal Trail bridges.As directed by the structural reports, all vehicles heavier than a snow machine or ATV were prohibited from crossing all existing bridges on the Coastal Trail.
As a result, this assessment then lead to the multi-year phased replacement project of all the Coastal Trail Bridges, starting with the North Lagoon Bridge (2015), the Sisson and Fish Creek Bridges (2016), and the future replacement of the South Lagoon Bridge (2018 - 2019).
Project Status and Upcoming Replacement Schedule
1. In the fall of 2015, the North Lagoon Bridge was replaced. The contractor was Bristol Prime Contractors, LLC.
2.In the fall of 2016, the Fish Creek Bridge and Sisson Bridge were replaced. Asphalt and landscaping was completed in summer 2017. The contractor was Roger Hickel Contracting, Inc.
3. Currently (Jan. 2019), the South Lagoon Bridge is re-opened. Construction will resume in spring 2019. ***Detour routes and more information will be available as this design develops.
Funding
The Parks & Recreation Department used residual bond funds (funds are in-hand) from the2013/14 Coastal Trail surface rehabilitation project to fund the 2015 North Lagoon Bridge project design, engineering and permitting.
Funds for the construction portion (replacement) of the North Lagoon bridge were from the 2015 Park Bond.
Residual funds (funds in-hand) from this project were used to fund the design, engineering and permitting of the Fish Creek and Sisson Loop replacements.
Funds for the construction (replacement) of the Fish Creek and Sisson Loop bridges were from the 2016 Park Bond.
Residual funds (funds in-hand) from the 2016 project were used to develop the engineering analysis and concept design for the South Lagoon Bridge. Funding for the construction portion replacement are from the 2018 MOA Park Bond.
Project updates will continued to be posted on this site and on our Parks & Recreation Facebook site as construction develops.
Project Manager Contact:
For questions, please contact Maeve Nevins-Lavtar at nevinslavtarmv@muni.org, or call (907)-343-4135