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Stone steps and a reduced tread width make this old
road more enjoyable to hike. |
With over 60 miles of natural surface trails, the Wissahickong Valley Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is one of the nation's largest urban singletrack trail systems. The Wissahickon sees extensive use by hikers, runners, equestrians, and mountain bicyclists. In an effort to reduce the massive backlog of trail maintenance and reduce erosion, the non-profit Friends of the Wissahickon undertook the Sustainable Trails Initiative, a multi-year trail reconstruction effort. Based upon our extensive experience with natural surface trails, Alta Planning + Design was hired as a subconsultant to provide construction management services for particularly challenging construction projects involving stone pitching, terracing, and retaining walls in this extremely rocky environment.
With a looming deadline and rigorous design standards to implement, the prime contractor retained Alta Planning + Design to provide construction management on a complicated reconstruction project. An old road bed, in use as the main trail, was eroding and causing sedimentation into the adjacent namesake Wissahickon River. To lessen the trail grade within the existing corridor, Alta staff directed the installation of a series of stone terraces, utilizing the beautiful native rock of the area. Rock "chokes" were also used to narrow the tread and provide a more intimate trail experience. The resulting product was not only more sustainable, but more enjoyable for users.
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The hillside in this area was completely rebuilt from
a former quarry to support the new trail. |
Where the road was too steep to be improved, the trail was relocated through a small abandoned quarry, requiring significant slope reconstruction. Alta staff designed and managed the reconstruction effort, and in the process saved several significant trees, closed the old road bed, and "naturalized" the rebuilt slope to encourage native plant growth.
Alta Senior Associate
Chris Berhardt took part in the reconstruction process. In his own words, "For me, the best part about this project was the positive comments we received from the trail users. Every day at least a dozen people would walk or bike by the site and thank us for the work we were doing to make their park a better place. It is personally and professionally satisfying to build beautiful trails that people enjoy on a daily basis."
