Trail Talk - September 2024

September 2024

Trail Amenities Now Become A Focus

By John Lanier

Now that construction on the first section of the Ecusta Trail in Henderson County is approaching completion and plans for the Brevard section are moving forward, the Brevard Ecusta Trail Advisory Board (ETAB) has begun looking at amenities along the trail.

Amenities are broken down into three levels. Federal funds can be used for some amenities but not others.

Level One amenities for which federal grant funds can be used are bicycle racks, waste receptacles, benches, trail-related information signs, information kiosks or stations, and mile or location markers. Level one amenities that would have to be funded by other means include bicycle fix-it stations, drinking fountains and trail user counters. The estimated costs for non-federally funded amenities are: $2,500 - $7,000 for drinking fountains; $800 – $2,500 for bicycle fix-it stations; and $3,500 - $12,000 for trail user counters.

Level Two amenities include parking areas and bathrooms. Federal funds can be used for the bathrooms if they are in the federal footprint right-of-way.

Level Three amenities include things such as large shelters, overlooks, gateway features, public art and interpretive exhibits. These items are not included in grant funding.

There are some distinctions among items. For example, a small, simple shelter immediately adjacent to the trail whose purpose is to provide shelter from the elements or a respite may be eligible for federal funds. However, a large picnic shelter would not be eligible for federal funding.

In the coming months, ETAB will begin prioritizing amenities and discussing their locations for the 8-mile section of the Ecusta Trail in Transylvania County.

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Trail Teasers

More trail work continues and the six new bridges between Hendersonville and Horse Shoe are in.

Bridge #1 over Wash Creek, near Fresh Market. Photo by Cindy Ruzak

Bridge #2 behind Grist Mill Drive. Photo by Cindy Ruzak

Bridge #3 behind 1st Congregational Church in Laurel Park. Photo by Cindy Ruzak

Bridge #4 at Turley Falls Rd and Brightwater Dr. Photo by Mark Miller

Bridge #5 near Kilpatrick Rd. Photo by Matt Revis

Bridge #6 at Battle Creek and Hwy 64. Photo by Matt Revis

Photo by Mark Miller

Photo by Cindy Rusak

Photo by Mark Miller

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Ecusta Trail Progress And Horse Shoe History

By Wayne Boynton (Guest Writer)

There is good news about the Ecusta Trail. The construction company has begun paving the first 6 miles of Ecusta East from Horse Shoe to downtown Hendersonville.

Previous Ecusta Trail reports included pictures of the old railroad grade that had been stripped of all crossties and rails, as well as pictures of some of the new bridges. The trail is being built to standards that allow vehicles, such as ambulances and maintenance equipment, to use the trail when needed.

The paving started at the point where the trail crosses U. S. 64 in Horse Shoe. Going east, the first section of paving is 1.1 miles long (measured twice on my Garmin).

Then, there is about a half mile of gravel. This is not paved yet because the construction company is still installing a bridge on this section and shoring up a section of the old railroad grade adjacent to the veterans’ garden/farm.

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NCDOT To Hold Ecusta Trail Open House

On Tuesday, Sept. 10, from 5-7 p.m. in the Rogow Room of the Transylvania County Library, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will hold a Public Open House to provide maps and information regarding the proposed construction of the Ecusta Trail in Transylvania County.

According to the NCDOT, “The purpose of the meeting is to introduce the project to the public and for the project team to receive feedback on the proposed design concepts.”

Lonnie Watkins, who is overseeing the Ecusta Trail project from Brevard to the Henderson County line for the NCDOT, said there would be no formal presentation. There will be detailed maps for the public to peruse and project staff will be on hand to answer questions.

The library is located at 212 S. Gaston Street in Brevard.

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Henderson County Rail-Trail

Advisory Committee

The August meeting was cancelled.

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ETAB 2.0 Discusses Several Topics

By John Lanier and Mark Tooley

On Thursday, August 22, the newly reconstituted Brevard Ecusta Trail Advisory Board – dubbed ETAB 2.0 – discussed the budget, timeline, physical conditions and amenities for the Transylvania County section of the Ecusta Trail.

At a previous city council meeting, council members decided to give ETAB voting authority on a number of measures and slightly changed the composition of the board to increase the representation of agencies focused on economic development and downtown Brevard.

Brevard City Manager Wilson Hooper quickly reviewed the milestones of the railroad line beginning in 1939 when the Ecusta mill opened to the current reconstitution of ETAB.

Hooper said the entire process sped up last summer when the city received two federal grants totaling approximately $45 million for the trail.

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Celebrate Friends Day with the

Ecusta Trail at Mast General Store

Hendersonville Sept. 7