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1. Q I
see that construction is happening along Northwestern Avenue.
Can you tell me more about this? |
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A.
Yes.
Construction is nearly complete for the “link” between Stenton
Avenue and Fairmount Park. A 12 foot wide multi-use trail is in
place now between Stenton and the Creek. The County has also
moved the sidewalk back and will be installing shoulders on the
road between the Creek and Germantown Avenue, to give bicyclists
a good place to ride. When we’re all done, pedestrians will
have a continuous sidewalk from Stenton to Germantown Pike and
cyclists and pedestrians can then easily reach the Forbidden
Drive at Andorra Road. We expect everything to be done by
December of 2006. |
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2.
Q. Can you tell me about the development between Stenton
Avenue and Fort Washington State Park? |
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The county is will complete
most of the trail this December in that section. We still have
to do an underpass of the Railroad to make the final connection
to the Militia Hill recreation area of the Park and re-deck the
existing pedestrian bridge over the Wissahickon to make the
connection to the Mill Road Recreation area of the Park. Both
of these will be done in the Summer of 2006. |
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3.
Q.
I love walking along the Wissahickon Creek in Whitemarsh Township
on the nice walking path and although I applaud your development plans
for this section, I wonder about the sensitive environment and how you
will protect the environment. |
| A. When we design and build the trail in that area, we will be
required to get the proper permits from the Department of Environmental
Protection agency and the Montgomery County Conservation District.
Additionally, we will look carefully at
the need to protect
mature trees and the stream bank of the Creek, itself.
We will not be
increasing any flood elevations and with the
stone/cinder surface of the trail, we
will
not be affecting the percolation of storm water as it now
exists.
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4.
Q.
Are you planning to build the trail in conformance to the Wissahickon Riparian |
| Restoration Trail Link Master Plan that was done in
1998? |
| A. Yes. The principals
of that plan will be followed, including the installation of
a paved path along Stenton Avenue between W. Valley Green Road and Joshua
Road, so
that road bicyclists have a connection to the Cross County trail. |
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5.
Q. When is all of this work going to be done? |
| A.
Please visit the New Trail Development section of this web site. |
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6. Q.I’ve wondered why couldn’t the
County just leave the segment of the Green Ribbon Trail between
Stenton Avenue and Fort Washington the way it is with a grassy
and dirt path? |
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A.
The County is installing a solid
cinder and gravel surface trail, which will replace the existing
dirt path. We know there will be a greater number of users
once the trail is complete and makes a good connection to the
State Park. For this reason, we need a surface that is both
sensitive to the environment but also will hold up to flood
conditions AND will not be as easily degraded with heavy use.
For good maintenance and patrol access, the Trail will need to
be strong enough to accept light maintenance, emergency, and
patrol vehicles. The 1999 Wissahickon Riparian Restoration
Trail Link Master plan makes this recommendation. The County
also wants to discourage the use of road bicycles, which a
cinder and stone surface will do. |
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7. Q. I have
a question about the need to pave parts of the Green Ribbon
Trail. Why do this? |
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A. The Trail
will be macadam paved between the Morris Arboretum and West
Valley Green Road at Stenton Avenu where it will connect to the
macadam paved Cross County Trail. Some of our trails are
meant to be used by road bicycles, including the Cross County
Trail. This portion of the trail will be macadam paved to
better serve all users and to make the trail more user friendly
for road bicycles, especially since many people will want to
connect to Fairmount park via the Green Ribbon Trail along Stenton Avenue. Our trails are meant to serve not only the
recreation needs of the County but the transportation needs, as
well. It is clear that our trails need to be available for
bicyclists who wish to choose an alternate form of commuter
transportation. |
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