Work on the expansion of the Hunters Bay Trail is moving full steam ahead, pending approvals from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.
The trail’s expansion design has been completed by Tulloch Engineering, but Town staff are awaiting a green light from the MTO as the majority of the trail expansion will be built on MTO land.
An encroachment application has been submitted to the Ministry, said Huntsville Parks and Cemeteries Manager Colleen MacDonald.
“We are awaiting approval on the engineered design… before we take our next steps because we want to make sure, obviously, that anything we purchase or start to build is going to meet with MTO specifications,” she said. MacDonald did not anticipate any problems with receiving approvals. She said there may be some minor tweaking.
We’re looking for those technical comments back and then as soon as we get approval, then we’ll start the procurement process to find a contractor and/or material supplier to put all the pieces together.
Huntsville Parks and Cemeteries Manager Colleen MacDonald
The trail will link from Orchard Park along Hunters Bay Trail, under the highway, and over to the Lakewood Park subdivision. The surface will vary depending on drainage and vegetation; some areas will be granular, while others will go over a boardwalk in order to allow for the growth of vegetation and proper drainage while also preventing erosion.
Repairs were recently conducted on a portion of the trail to prevent siltation as a result of erosion going into Hunters Bay. The before and after photos – one taken in June and the other in July – were remarkable in terms of the speed with which the rooting of vegetation took place. (See the featured photo above.)
“We put out an RFP (request for proposal) in 2015 to have someone give us suggestions on how to repair it. The successful contractor was Fowler Construction,” said MacDonald.
The wall, according to MacDonald, was built with an engineered earth retaining system, Envirolock, a product that uses material similar to sand bags that lock together. It was then hydroseeded and shrubs and trees were also planted to make it even more stable.
While the cost of the trail expansion has not yet been firmed up, according to Town Finance Manager/Treasurer Julia McKenzie, the project is estimated to cost about $311,800. In the municipality’s 2016 budget, council approved $37,550 for the project with additional funding coming from the PanAm Games and the District of Muskoka.
“Once approval has been given by the MTO, staff will bring back costs to General Committee,” said McKenzie.
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