Buongiorno,
I have noticed in some of the trails, there are deep long grooves, I call them potholes for bikes. I wish I had pictures. I see a lot of them on the trail that is parallel to 2nd avenue in Hazelwood. This trail takes you right to the hot metal bridge from hazelwood. If you're riding along at a decent speed and don't know they are there, you're in for a serious jolt and maybe a flat tire. There are also a few on the trail near old browns hill road. I believe it's part of 9 mile run. (Take homestead grey bridge from waterfront and make a right before the shopping center with dunkin donuts, head down that road a bit and the trail is on your left, which takes you to commercial ave eventually in swissvale).
These trails are not complete concrete. Seems like rain erodes these grooves in the ground. If anyone is on these trails today and can take a picture that would be helpful. Ill try to do that next time I'm there.
Do you think we can get these filled in?
italianblend
2013-07-27 04:53:20
Do you mean like these? I took this in July 2012, shortly after the Hazelwood trail opened.
Seems like the best-designed trails do a lot of work to control water, with ditches that catch it and pipes under the trail to get it across. Maybe that's what these sections need, not just patching.
steven
2013-07-27 07:32:12
given the intensity of the rash of recent storm activity, this kind of dmg is expected.
the runoff management systems are in place, but not designed to handle the weather phenomenons of the past couple weeks.
pbeaver
2013-07-27 08:33:32
I really don't know what to do about them. We hit those ruts on the Hazelwood trail last night. OTOH, on my way down Perry Hwy a couple mornings ago, I saw an 18" deep gash in the side of the road where recent rains have started to saw away at the road edge. Guaranteed, road work is going to take priority over trail work. How much of this is some Authority's or trail council's to maintain, and how much of this is three people and some shovels and just show up and fix it?
stuinmccandless
2013-07-27 12:25:04
I think any repair work should be done in coordination with the trail council in charge. But they really need and are always asking for volunteers. So it should be pretty easy to help out.
Limestone trails are great, but turn to cement when it rains.
jonawebb
2013-07-27 12:46:24
the trails are too flat. they need a 5º or so outslope and the water will sheet off evenly instead of pooling or finding its own path and eroding these streamlets into the tread. this is how we build singletrack in the woods to be sustainable.
cburch
2013-07-28 19:46:29
The grooves on the Hazelwood trail are not new; they were there at least a year ago. Certainly soon after the trail opened.
I'm not an expert but it seems like a quick fix right now would be to fill the grooves with coarser crushed stone that won't get carried away by streaming water. Crunchier but a lot easier to deal with that what we've got. (Yes proper grading and drainage should have been there to begin with but that costs money...)
ahlir
2013-07-28 22:08:54
