Longtime eroded patch of bike trail getting attention
Not long after Chris Houck was named operations manager at Ohiopyle State Park two years ago, he was walking the bike trail “trying to view things from the visitor’s perspective,” when he came to an eroded stretch near Confluence. “It’s not that bad,” he thought, looking over the hilly patch. He then rolled his ankle…
Not long after Chris Houck was named operations manager at Ohiopyle State Park two years ago, he was walking the bike trail “trying to view things from the visitor’s perspective,” when he came to an eroded stretch near Confluence.
“It’s not that bad,” he thought, looking over the hilly patch.
He then rolled his ankle in the loose sand, the very issue that has dogged bikers for years and prompted the posting of warning signs in the area. Last summer, Houck listed the site for repairs, which got underway in recent weeks with a grader and roller.
Over the years, rainwater carved sandy gullies in the trail near mile marker 62 instead of diverting it to either side. The gullies also created sand traps that threatened stability for bikers and walkers alike.
Houck said that a Yough River-side lip that had been steering rain onto the trail, instead of away from it, had been removed and a crown was created in the middle of the trail, which will divert rain to either side. Paved roads use a similar design to prevent ponding and improve drainage.
“It was definitely on the radar,” he said about the eroded area, “but we also wanted to do it right to address the problem. “Hopefully that’ll work.”
The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps, a state funded job training program, did the trail repair work, which was managed by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Student Conservation Association. The Corps is also replacing wooden steps at the washhouse at Ramcat.