Mile by mile, the hope of a multi-use trail from Port Townsend to the shores of the Pacific Ocean is steadily moving from an aging vision to a reality.
About 70 miles of the estimated 130-mile Olympic Discovery Trail, which will span the North Olympic Peninsula, is usable now.
Projects in both Clallam and Jefferson counties are lined up to continue the work to extend the trail.
Clallam County
Clallam County has been allocated $100,000 in federal transportation alternative funds, said Rich James, Clallam County Public Works transportation program manager.
The funds will allow county officials to pursue building a 1.6-mile segment of the trail between the two tunnels on the Railroad Spruce Trail bordering Lake Crescent.
The project is slated for 2018-19.
James announced the funding at the Peninsula Trails Coalition’s annual membership meeting May 19.
More than 70 people, including state Rep. Steve Tharinger, were in attendance to celebrate past and future progress on the trail.
The coalition — an all-volunteer nonprofit — was formed in 1988 with the goal of creating the Olympic Discovery Trail.
Beyond being a unique recreational outlet that promotes health and links many to the outdoors and nature, Tharinger described the trail as an “economic engine.”
“As the tourism sector of the economy is developed, the trail can be a great asset,” said the Sequim Democrat, who serves in the 24th District of the state Legislature, along with Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, and Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam.
The 24th District covers Clallam and Jefferson counties and part of Grays Harbor County.
Construction through tunnels on the Spruce Railroad Trail also are underway to accommodate the trail.
Restoration of the larger 400-foot tunnel is set to begin mid-September and could extend through the winter, James said.
County officials are asking for other funding from the state Recreation and Conservation Office to put toward restoring the smaller second, smaller tunnel, too.
The county wasn’t the only entity to receive funding aimed at the trail.
Jamestown S’Klallam
The Jamestown S’Klallam tribe has been awarded a $182,308 grant from the Peninsula Regional Transportation Planning Organization to complete a 0.64-mile stretch of trail on tribal property beginning at East Michigan School Road and heading west toward Old Blyn Highway.
“This piece especially fills a gap of the trail where folks would have to bump out onto [U.S.] Highway 101 if they wanted to get through this section of trail,” said Annette Nesse, chief operating officer for the tribe.
“Right now, we’re working on the trail section from Diamond Point Road westward about three-quarters of a mile, and this trail section that we just got funding for will add to that.”
The tribe is contributing matching funds of $48,000 that likely will help to initiate the design phase of the project prior to the use of the recently awarded grant allocated for 2018-19.
Coinciding with the work of officials with Clallam County and the tribe, a culvert in Sequim Bay State Park is set to be removed and replaced with a salmon-friendly bridge.
Installation of the bridge will improve the trail, which runs through the park, since it undergoes a large elevation change where the bridge will go, James explained.
Jefferson County
In Jefferson County, support from the Board of County Commissioners is allowing for a feasibility study of a 6-mile section.
Through the county, the funds from the state Recreation and Conservation Office cap at $1 million to evaluate and then possibly obtain land for a new route that would take trail users through the Eaglemount area and in doing so avoid the dangerous section of state Highway 20 between Four Corners Road and Discovery Bay.
Challenges posed by the area’s topography created by long-ago glaciers is another reason the segment of trail hasn’t been planned, let alone built, explained Jeff Selby, the Jefferson County vice president of the Peninsula Trails Coalition.
Upon completion, it’s hoped the study will determine the best option for connecting the existing Larry Scott Trail to the Olympic Discovery Trail trailhead in Discovery Bay near Snow Creek to Old Gardiner Road.
That portion of the trail is anticipated to undergo construction next summer.
For more information on the Olympic Discovery Trail or the Peninsula Trails Coalition, visit www.peninsulatrailscoalition.org.
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Alana Linderoth is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach her at alinderoth@sequimgazette.com.
