Where does trail go next

BESSEMER - After making a major milestone by receiving a Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund grant, the Western Gateway Trail Authority met Thursday to proceed making plans a trail from Ironwood to Bessemer.

Currently, the trail runs along the former Soo Railroad grade in Ironwood from a bridge over the Montreal River to Crestview Street off U.S. 2 near Country Club Road. Phase 2 of the trail will continue to Moore Street in Bessemer.

The WGTA plans to extend the trail during phase 3 all the way to Sunday Lake in Wakefield, according to Paul Anderson, project manager from Coleman Engineering.

At Thursday's meeting, Anderson said there are possible complications with proposed design for phase 2.

"AT&T has fiber-optic lines running the entire length of the grade offset to the north side," he said. "There's some utility crossings at Country Club Road and the transfer station, which is to be expected. That tells us that, anywhere we want to do substantial cutting, we're not going to be able to."

As a result, Anderson said the authority has to go with Plan B instead of its initial plan.

"The only places I was going to do any cutting was around the bridges, where the Department of Transportation is making us add a 6-foot wide shoulder for people to line up on because our bridges are only 10-feet wide instead of 14-feet wide. The cheaper option was to cut the trapezoid off the existing grade and extend it from 14-feet to 20-feet."

As a result, as part of Plan B, Anderson said he thinks building a deck along the bridge is the best option.

"I propose we build a deck with concrete footings, drill down into the grade out to the right side. We've got room in the budget for that," Anderson said.

According to the WGTA, the deadline to submit the design to the DOT is Sept. 7.

"We're trying very hard to meet the deadline," he said.

Anderson said they are looking to reroute the trail near Country Club Road due to safety concerns.

"So we're going to ... run our trail adjacent to the snowmobile trail just at the road crossing. So they'll meet for 5 feet on each side. That will maximize safety."

Because the non-motorized trail will be so close the snowmobile trail, WGTA member Joe Bonovetz said the trail could be damaged.

"We discussed some of the occurrences where the trails combine, where the groomer can do some damage. We want to make sure what needs to be done as far as maintaining the integrity of our trail should be done," Bonovetz.

Ironwood City Manager Scott Erickson said the trail will hold up.

"Luckily, we're on a rail grade and it has a phenomenal sub base," he said. "It's better than any road we have in town. Driving on it, we have no concern. It's like a road. It's the same asphalt thickness as the roads."