City replacing degrading asphalt on trails

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. ( KREX ) — For nearly three decades, the City of Grand Junction will be replacing several sections of trail after cracks and bumps became too much for some residents.

"The asphalt surface is nearing 30-years-old, and over the last 30 years, the asphalt has shrunk in place and has created some fairly significant gaps," said Trent Prall, the engineering and transportation director for the City of Grand Junction.

Prall said so far, from the city's 9.2 miles of trail, "We've replaced 2 miles to date of that and the next two segments that we're going to be replacing, replaces a total of 1.6 miles."

The two sections of trail the city will be replacing starting Tuesday are between the Redlands Parkway bridge and roundabout and between Buffalo Drive and Rimrock Road.

Prall says a contract between the city and a concrete supplier was signed for $300,000, any other funding for the project will be taken out of the city's 3/4 cent sales tax, specifically allocated to capital improvement.

Leslie McDonald, an avid bike rider and user of the local bike trails, expresses her frustrations in having to take detours around the dilapidated trail.

"There's too many cracks in the pavement. So, I always end up going out on South Camp and riding until it turns concrete and then I take it from there."

Around 13 people will be on sight when actively pouring the concrete, including both city crews and contractors, said Prall.

The project between the Redlands' Parkway bridge and roundabout is expected to take about a month to complete. The project between Buffalo Drive and Rimrock Road is expected to take four weeks to complete.

Prall is looking forward to starting this new project.

"(I'm) looking forward to getting this project a little further along here this year."