North East Trail Connector

Students: Audrey Russo (Project Manager), Bill Columbus, Darya Hurskaya, Tara Walter

Faculty Advisor or Community Project Lead:

Osama A. Abaza, Ph.D., Professor of Civil Engineering, UAA

James Amundsen, P.E., Chief of Highway Design, ADOT&PF

Stephane Nuss,   Engineering Division Director, AWWU

Client Organization: Tom Bronga and the Chugach Foothills Community

Summary:

The Chugach Foothills Community expressed a safety concern over the lack of a safe pedestrian east-west route near the Tudor Road and Muldoon Road curve, just east of Campbell Airstrip Road.  Currently there is no physical barrier between high-speed traffic and the pedestrian lane for over a half mile.  The community’s solution was to establish an east-west trail in the Far North Bicentennial Park just south of Tudor Road.  The community asked SeaWolf Engineering to aid in the preliminary design of a trail, the North East Trail Connector, connecting Regal Mountain Drive to Campbell Airstrip Road.  SeaWolf Engineering would provide a Design Study Report to the Chugach Foothills Community that would outline a proposed corridor, recommended materials, alternatives, and cost estimates.  The Chugach Foothills Community could utilize this document in order to seek grant funding for the installation of a trail in the area.

Considerations for this project included: current land use, utilities, anadromous waters, and large game habitat.  A large portion of the project crosses Class A wetlands.  SeaWolf Engineering broke the trail down into three segments Non-wetlands, Boardwalk, and Wetlands.  Hydrological analysis, geotechnical data, and environmental considerations were taken into account when choosing the route and materials for the project.

SeaWolf Engineering recommends an aggregate trail through the Non-wetlands area, an elevated boardwalk that uses helical screw piles over open water, and GeoBlock® 5150 through the Wetlands area.  The use of the helical screw piles and the GeoBlock® 5150 would not require the need for any fill material placed into the Class A Wetlands.  Any fill in Class A Wetlands would require a 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Other alternatives were considered and a cost analysis was completed for each option.  It is recommended that a more in-depth analysis of geotechnical and environmental information be completed prior to installation of the trail.

Documents: