County presents Port Gamble trail study
Published 1:30 am Thursday, April 5, 2018
KINGSTON — A feasibility study examining the possible construction of a shared-use trail connection between Stottlemeyer Road NE and Port Gamble came before an audience at Kingston’s Village Green Community Center, March 28.
If constructed, the trail would serve as a leg of the Sound to Olympics Trail — a concept for a region-wide series of shared-use paths. Once completed, the Sound to Olympics Trail (STO) would connect King County trails to the Olympic Mountain trails west of the Hood Canal. By utilizing the Sound to Olympics Trail, Discovery Trail, King County Trails and the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, one could theoretically cross the entirety of Washington state only using trail connections.
The possibility of walking from Idaho to the Pacific Ocean seemed rather distant at the meeting though. Still in its early stages, the project is simply having it’s first consideration from the county.
David Forte is the transportation planning supervisor for Kitsap County. Forte explained that the open house was to keep the community apprised of their findings following a preliminary analysis of proposed trail alignments.
“How do we put a trail through Port Gamble Park, that’s part of the Sound to Olympics Trail, that is part of the community connections that provide access for all ages and abilities to [use] them?” Forte asked.
Forte explained after looking at the basic concepts and alignments proposed by the North Kitsap Trails Association, the county has begun to get a clearer picture of what the future may hold for a Port Gamble trail to Stottlemeyer Road.
“What we’re coming back with is … the best way to get a transportation and recreational path, a shared-use path to Port Gamble that provides for the least amount of environmental impact, has the optimum ability for all ages and abilities to utilize it and provides the best connectivity within the park and to the park.”
As a stipulation of the land’s acquisition, Pope Resources has retained the right to conduct one more harvest on the lands through which the trail would pass. As for the trail itself, existing logging roads will be utilized wherever possible so as to mitigate construction costs. Early cost estimates saw the preferred alignment for the trail at around $5.5 million for 6.7 miles of trail. An additional 1.9 mile stretch is estimated to cost $1.8 million. The extra 1.9 miles would create a loop in the northern section of the trail near Port Gamble.
The next step for the project, Forte explained, is to move the project forward as a possible candidate for Transportation Improvement Plan ranking, which will determine which grant opportunities the trail connection would be eligible for.
“I think we can move forward with the concept and I think it has a lot of feasibility,” Forte said.
For more information on the project visit http://bit.ly/portgambletrail.
— Nick Twietmeyer is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. Nick can be contacted at ntwietmeyer@sound publishing.com.
