WOW Trail Phase 3 Heating up...

[Major]

Originally Posted by Seaplane Pilot

Playing the "safety" card!

It's a legitimate concern. During busy times, the forklift travels over the railroad tracks 200+ times a day. If the WOW trail is built, who has the right of way at the intersection of the WOW trail and the boat launch? If the forklift does, how does he stop in time when a bicyclist or a runner blows through the stop sign. Who's liable? Will the insurance obtained by the WOW trail and/or SD/LB protect them from liability?

[Seaplane Pilot]

Originally Posted by Major

It's a legitimate concern. During busy times, the forklift travels over the railroad tracks 200+ times a day. If the WOW trail is built, who has the right of way at the intersection of the WOW trail and the boat launch? If the forklift does, how does he stop in time when a bicyclist or a runner blows through the stop sign. Who's liable? Will the insurance obtained by the WOW trail and/or SD/LB protect them from liability?

Ok, so the WOW trail can build a pedestrian bridge across the ROW that the forklift uses. In fact, South Down should pay 1/2 of this cost (in my opinion). Problem solved.

[Major]

Originally Posted by Seaplane Pilot

Ok, so the WOW trail can build a pedestrian bridge across the ROW that the forklift uses. In fact, South Down should pay 1/2 of this cost (in my opinion). Problem solved.

It would have to be quite a pedestrian walkway! Have you seen the forklift used to lift boats up to 26' long? The walkway would have to have a clearance of 15' or more. Anyway, the cost of such a walkway would be trivial compared to the engineering and construction costs involved in the areas near Lakeport Landing, Pickerel Cove, Perch Cove and the Weirs Beach bridge. I bet each section with be $1,000,000 or more.

[jetskier]

Originally Posted by Major

It would have to be quite a pedestrian walkway! Have you seen the forklift used to lift boats up to 26' long? The walkway would have to have a clearance of 15' or more. Anyway, the cost of such a walkway would be trivial compared to the engineering and construction costs involved in the areas near Lakeport Landing, Pickerel Cove, Perch Cove and the Weirs Beach bridge. I bet each section with be $1,000,000 or more.

Some of the requisite bridges will be as much as 1,000 ft long (ex: Chattel cove). If the bridge is 12' wide (to support a 10' trail and guard rails), then the overall square footage is 12,000 square feet. The cost range for this type of bridge is $150 to $250 per square foot. Therefore it would cost north of about $2M for that bridge alone. Pickerel Cove will require about an 800' bridge so something north of $1.4M. Just saying...

Jetskier

[BroadHopper]

That's a new one! SB/LB is all for the Parade Road to Hilliard Rd route, which comprise of a steep hill that most people would think twice about. The Severance Road cut will be a must nicer proposal if the SB/LB will accept it. I bet because Severance Road cuts through their 'back yard', they may not approve it.

The problem is federal and state grants. They are set up for approval along existing or old RR beds. Where is the money going to come from if they change the route?

Also I believe Class 6 roads are privately owned and may require easements from current deeds. This brings up the Durrell Mountain Road and Hoadley Road fiaso. located on the Gilford and Belmont Line. Both roads are Class 6 and used by 4X4 and ATV for years. After a lengthy battle the court agrees the roads transferred to abutting landowners by some statute of limitation and were declared private properties. Hoadley Road is closed. Durrell Mountain is closed to motorized vehicles except snowmobiles.

The Severance Road proposal is a good one, but it looks like it faced a lot of obstacles.

[baygo]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

That's a new one! SB/LB is all for the Parade Road to Hilliard Rd route, which comprise of a steep hill that most people would think twice about. The Severance Road cut will be a must nicer proposal if the SB/LB will accept it. I bet because Severance Road cuts through their 'back yard', they may not approve it.

The problem is federal and state grants. They are set up for approval along existing or old RR beds. Where is the money going to come from if they change the route?

Also I believe Class 6 roads are privately owned and may require easements from current deeds. This brings up the Durrell Mountain Road and Hoadley Road fiaso. located on the Gilford and Belmont Line. Both roads are Class 6 and used by 4X4 and ATV for years. After a lengthy battle the court agrees the roads transferred to abutting landowners by some statute of limitation and were declared private properties. Hoadley Road is closed. Durrell Mountain is closed to motorized vehicles except snowmobiles.

The Severance Road proposal is a good one, but it looks like it faced a lot of obstacles.

This seems to be some pretty good feedback. Not certain what all the obstacles would be but I sense nothing is insurmountable.

I recently looked at the WOW trail map and one thing I notice is that parking could become a serious problem for the downtown. Assuming the trial is a huge success it may not be far-fetched to assume 500 cars could converge on the downtown and be left parking for four or five hours while people are riding on the trail. That could really create a huge economic downturn in for the downtown. A WOW trail welcome center on Severance could help with such a problem. In the event that the demand for parking exceeded what could be made available near severance there is the additional parking option of Robbie mills Field and Elm Street school.

The welcome center could be operated for profit to benefit the trail and offset the loss of federal funding for the portion that isn't along the tracks.

[jetskier]

Originally Posted by baygo

This seems to be some pretty good feedback. Not certain what all the obstacles would be but I sense nothing is insurmountable.

I recently looked at the WOW trail map and one thing I notice is that parking could become a serious problem for the downtown. Assuming the trial is a huge success it may not be far-fetched to assume 500 cars could converge on the downtown and be left parking for four or five hours while people are riding on the trail. That could really create a huge economic downturn in for the downtown. A WOW trail welcome center on Severance could help with such a problem. In the event that the demand for parking exceeded what could be made available near severance there is the additional parking option of Robbie mills Field and Elm Street school.

The welcome center could be operated for profit to benefit the trail and offset the loss of federal funding for the portion that isn't along the tracks.

Baygo - of merit is the fact that the construction of the trail along this proposed route will be much cheaper than along the shore front. It will not involve building bridges or (potentially) dealing with the trestle underpass at the Weirs. In addition, there will be no need for fences or exorbitant insurance
which we know is also of issue.

Jetskier

[Outdoorsman]

During the summer, the South Down Boat Club is a very busy, and a potentially dangerous operation.

Someone needs to contact OSHA about this immediate and imminent threat to public safety!

[laketrout]

Originally Posted by jetskier

Some of the requisite bridges will be as much as 1,000 ft long (ex: Chattel cove). If the bridge is 12' wide (to support a 10' trail and guard rails), then the overall square footage is 12,000 square feet. The cost range for this type of bridge is $150 to $250 per square foot. Therefore it would cost north of about $2M for that bridge alone. Pickerel Cove will require about an 800' bridge so something north of $1.4M. Just saying...

Jetskier

Pickerel Cove is a nice spot the railroad tracks that go along the water at that point is probably 8' wide there is no room for a walking trail without heavy material/landfill modification. The current Pickerel Cove train tracks Causeway over the water would need to be filled in to get the 10' required Wow ROW.

[WakeboardMom]

Originally Posted by Seaplane Pilot

Ok, so the WOW trail can build a pedestrian bridge across the ROW that the forklift uses. In fact, South Down should pay 1/2 of this cost (in my opinion). Problem solved.

Red herring. I live by Trexler's Marina, where on a Saturday morning, the forklift is back-and-forth across the street, folks are checking out of cottages on LI and the trailers in the park so there's that kind of traffic, plus runners, walkers and bikers are on the road, and there's no big issue. It's what constitutes "traffic" here at our lovely lake.