Map courtesy of Henderson County Engineering Department
An overview of the Ecusta Trail, from Brevard Road to South Main Street.
The initial phase of construction on the Ecusta Trail in western North Carolina is moving forward with the installation of six new bridges along what was once an old railroad bed.
The first phase is scheduled to open in December, Henderson County Engineer Marcus Jones told the Hendersonville Times-News. It will include 6 mi. of the trail's 19.4 total miles and cost approximately $13 million.
When completed, the multi-use, paved Ecusta Trail will connect the mountain towns of Hendersonville and Brevard, south of Asheville.
The pathway is being created on what was the former Watco Rail line with the goal of providing pedestrians and cyclists the chance to explore a variety of scenic landscapes in the area, from the French Broad River to rolling hills and mountain peaks.
The trail site was once a Norfolk Southern rail line before being purchased by Watco; however, the line has not been in operation for nearly two decades.
In the first week of August, the half-dozen prefabricated steel bridges were brought to Henderson County from their manufacturing site in Alabama. Once at their designated locations, the bridges were set by Asheville-based NHM Constructors LLC, the project's contractor.
The Hendersonville Times-News reported Aug. 6 that the next step in the process is to level the bridges and fasten them to concrete bases on each end. Jones said this work should take anywhere from one to two weeks to accomplish.
He added that the new pedestrian bridges are replacing six railroad trusses that were previously on the land. Following their placement, no other new bridges will be required for Phase 1.
Early in the design, the Ecusta construction team evaluated the condition of each rail bridge as well as repair costs and whether they could be designed to carry an emergency or trail maintenance vehicle. Based on their findings, each existing bridge needed to be replaced with elevated prefabricated steel structures to avoid potential flood impacts.
Jones said each structure costs between $300,000 and $500,000, depending on its size. They vary in length, but their widths are either 12 ft. in more rural areas of the county or 14 ft. wide in the urban settings.
The six bridges due to be installed will be set along Fifth Avenue, U.S. Highway 64, Allen Street, Church and Main streets, Old Homestead Road, and at Turley Falls Road and Brightwater Drive.
More Work Ahead to Create Scenic Path
The Ecusta Trail's first phase will stretch from South Main Street in downtown Hendersonville to the intersection of U.S. 64/Battle Creek Road in the small community of Horse Shoe. Although still in the design phase, the second portion of the project will lead hikers and cyclists from there to Brevard's Oskar Blues Brewing, noted the Ecusta Trail website.
The official Ecusta Trail groundbreaking was held last October at the site of the Veterans Healing Farm in Hendersonville. Crews began work at the site in December with clearing and grubbing continuing into the spring, followed by grading.
Jones previously told the Times-News that the next portion of the trail is being designed and should be completed in about four years.
Other work being done on the Ecusta Trail includes the installation of draining system ditches and pipes, he added, noting that the subgrade for paving is nearly finished.
"The bridges were a pretty big milestone," Jones explained. "But the paving's going to be pretty significant, even just getting the first layer down."
Tarheel Paving in Hendersonville is in charge of that work.
Jones said recent rainy weather sometimes prohibits work being done on the Ecusta Trail and slows down the process, but construction on the first phase is still on schedule to be wrapped by the December target date.
Jones previously told the Times-News that the next portion of the trail is currently being designed and should be completed in about four years.
For now, the Ecusta Trail will be closed while its first phase is being constructed.
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