Published: June 18, 2008 01:00 am      

A washout

Storm causes major problem for rail-trail system

FAIRMONT — Marion County Parks and Recreation officials are still seeking funding to repair a portion of the West Fork River Trail that was damaged during a recent storm.

A massive washout occurred approximately two miles south of the Marion County line in Harrison. The washout, which is around 30-feet deep and 100-feet wide, prevents anyone from traveling directly along the trail from the Hutchinson Park trailhead to the Shinnston trail head, said Dan Talbott, executive director of MCPARC.

“We’re currently seeking funding to repair the trail,” Talbott said. “We’re doing everything that we can.”

The Rails-to-Trials system runs from Harrison County up through Marion and Mon, and into Pennsylvania, allowing mountain bikers and hikers extensive access to West Virginia’s hills and valleys. But the washout now threatens that corridor’s continuity.

Talbott said he is attempting to obtain funding from the Federal Emergency Management Administration for the flood damage. However, he said he was not sure how much money FEMA was providing to the region for flood relief. He also said state funding is being sought.

“Damage to this trail affects a lot of people,” Talbott said. “It hurts more than just our region.”

He also noted that he personally knows people who travel to work via the rail-trail system. Talbott added that usage on the trail is always increasing.

He has been involved in Rails-to-Trails systems all across the state for around 20 years. However, this is one of the worst washouts he has seen along the system, he said.

“But it’s fixable,” Talbott said.

The portion of the trail damaged was washed out at the mouth of a tributary to the West Fork River dubbed Mud Lick. The washout occurred at a place where several culverts had been installed under the trail, Talbott said.

Ray Henderson, MCPARC board member and engineering consultant, said this portion of the trail has been washed out before. He said there are two options for fixing the trail.

One of the options is to bridge the washed-out area, Henderson said. Another option is to install another culvert and then build the trail up to its previous grade, he added.

“I think the culvert option would be a more permanent fix and require less maintenance than a bridge,” Henderson said.

Henderson went on to say the portion of the trail system is very historical because it is a part of the B&O Railroad. The damaged area lies in the spot where the main B&O Railroad line met with a spur that was used to take coal from mines in the area.

“I just really hope that the community bears with us until we can get this part of the trail reopened,” Henderson said. “It can be done, but it can’t be done overnight.”

Henderson said he would not speculate on how much it would cost to fix the trail. He pointed out that funding is still being sought and that there could be many factors that determine the project’s price tag.

E-mail Paul Fallon at pfallon@timeswv.com.