The Herman Leirer Multimodal Trail presentation at the Legends building March 2 was a little bit like the end of that old Monty Hall show, but instead of doors there were trails: paths No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3.
All three offered their own set of pros and cons.
The Herman Leirer Multimodal Trail Project proposes that a trail be built from the Seward Highway to the Exit Glacier Visitor Center, a span of approximately eight miles.
Landscape and architecture firm Corvus Design architects Peter Briggs and Paul Schrooten unveiled three trail possibilities.
The first option involves a separated pathway by the road; the second, a pathway on a widened road; the third, a separated pathway by and away from the road.
A fourth option on the south side of the Resurrection River was not pursued due to lack of feasibility.
The team then used a value analysis to compare issues such as cost, construction, safety and usability.
"You have to go from the no-frills to the Rolls Royce options and then find a happy medium," Briggs said.
Option three was determined to be the best choice. It offered the most pleasurable user bang for the buck.
It also fared well with the initial cost and life-cost analysis.
According to Schrooten, the recommendation is just that: A recommendation.
"It's not a decision," he said. "We want your public opinion. We want to know what you'd like."
History of the Exit Glacier trail proposal
The Herman Leirer Multimodal Trail project has been caught in the planning stages for over a decade. It kicked off strong back in 1999, until state transportation changes stalled funding. In 2009, National Park Service funds became available and trail development feasibility was once again investigated.
The biggest obstacle is that the proposed trail would cross lands owned by four government agencies: Department of Transportation, Alaska State Parks, National Forest Service and National Park Service.
Corralling multiple government agencies through initial plans, conception and long-term maintenance stages is no easy feat, Schrooten said, and brings up the questions of who is responsible for what, and when, and for how much.
According to DOT central region planning coordinator Dave Post, DOT would probably not maintain the trail.
Another question involves whether to pave the trail or construct it as packed gravel. Paving would increase the number of users. It would also, unfortunately, increase cost.
"In my guess is that with a paved trail there is going to be good and bad areas," Schrooten said. "There will be places you won't have to fix and others you'll have to fix constantly, and it's going to get expensive."
Paved or not, Post pointed out that sooner or later the proposed trail would need to connect with the existing paved bicycle trail.
"How do you connect trails on both sides of the Seward Highway?" he asked, suggesting (to the shocked silence of the Seward audience) that a traffic light be one day installed.
According to Schrooten and Briggs, community support could speed up the funding process and nudge government agencies into action.
"I'd like to get a ton of comments to show community interest," Briggs said.
Crossing agency lines is going to be a huge challenge, he said, yet one that very well could prove worth the effort.
"This could have a huge economical advantage to this town, especially in the winter when we need it," said Seward resident Marc Swanson. "This could make a huge amount of difference."
History of a trail that hasn't been built
- 1970: Herman Leirer Develops Road
- 1980: Kenai Fjords National Park established
- 1992: Exit Glacier road improvements
- 1995: Additional road repairs made
- 1999: National Park Service sponsored public meeting (over 120 participants)
- 2000: Working group met monthly
- 2001: Remainder of Exit Glacier Road corridor paved
- 2001: "Resurrection River Valley Non-Motorized Pathway Coalition" created
Who owns what portion of the trail?
The proposed Herman Leirer Multimodal Trail ownership reads as follows:
Miles 0 - 1.3: Department of Transportation
Miles 1.3 - 3.7: Alaska State Park Service, but DOT maintains
Miles 3.7 - 7.3: National Forest Service
Miles 7.3 - 8.2: National Park Service
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