Weather stalling work on trail
Construction of Chieftain Trail in Tonganoxie is stalled.
But once the ground thaws, work on the trail will begin in full force.
The half-mile trail will extend from Fourth and Main to Chieftain Park, and also will tie in with VFW Park. If the weather cooperates it’s likely to be completed by mid-summer, said Brian Kingsley, who works in the office of city engineer Cecil Kingsley.
“Once the frost gets out of the ground,” Brian Kingsley said of when construction would start. “Right now the dirt is almost as hard as rock to dig.”
In the meantime, as weather permits, workers are constructing a concrete box culvert so the trail can be built over Tonganoxie Creek on Main Street.
The trail’s total cost will be about $400,000. That includes $335,750 for Meadows Construction to do the work, and about $65,000 for the required inspections during the construction phase. A federal reimbursement program, administered by Kansas Department of Transportation, will cover 80 percent, or $320,000 of the cost, with the city picking up the remaining $80,000.
The concrete trail will be 10 feet wide with two feet of ground on each side that has no objects in it.
At several places along the way park benches and trash receptacles will be installed. And at the swimming pool, a bicycle rack also will be installed. If city voters approve a new swimming pool, the installation of the bench and bicycle rack will be delayed until after the new pool is built.
Chieftain Trail is planned for pedestrian and bicycle use, Kingsley said.
“It’s wide enough to ride a bike and walk,” Kingsley said. “There will be plenty of room.”