ShawneeDispatch.com

Work on the first phase of a new recreational trail continues in western Shawnee, and the city hopes to complete the second phase by the end of this year.

The city met with residents whose properties back up to the second phase of the Clear Creek Recreational Trail Feb. 24 at Monticello Trails Middle School to explain how the trail’s construction will affect them and what the finished trail will look like. The second phase will go underneath Monticello Road east to Woodstock road along Clear Creek.

While weather has delayed completion of the first phase of the trail, between Gamblin Park and Kansas Highway 7, it is almost to the “punch list” stage of smaller, finishing items. Most of the trail is complete, with work continuing on the section that goes underneath the highway.

The 10-foot-wide trail will be on ground about three and a half to four feet above the creek surface. In areas just east of Monticello Road, erosion problems have been a concern, so a safety rail will be placed between the trail and creek.

A 400-foot retaining wall also will have to be placed along the north side of the trail, between the trail and residential properties. The wall will be between two and nine feet tall along its length.

Burt Schnettgoecke, city project engineer, said that a $427,000 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant the city received from the Mid-America Regional Council will allow the city to put in a more attractive retaining wall that will affect residential properties less.

Also to mitigate erosion and affect the natural state of the creek as little as possible, two grade control structures will be placed in the creek and there will be areas of rock and natural grasses lining some portions.

No trees will be removed to construct the trail, and about 100 trees and shrubs will be added along its length, along with benches, recycle and trash receptacles and educational signage.

Schnettgoecke said the city will wrap up plans for phase two of the trail and obtain temporary construction easements for seven properties along the trail by April 15, and the project will be put out to bid. The city is putting the start date for construction at July 15, with construction taking five to six months.

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