Adding new paths in a west-end neighbourhood and at a new off-leash dog park are part of this year’s trail enhancements for Red Deer.
The City of Red Deer is working on various sections of the pathway system, including building three km of natural trails, boardwalks and viewpoints with Maskepetoon Park natural area bordering the Oriole Park neighbourhood. By doing these trails, the city hopes that people won’t make paths of their own.
“It builds a purposeful route through the forest,” said parks superintendent Trevor Poth.
And three to five-km trails will be developed for a new dog park east of Westerner Park and south of 19th Street. The park will be fenced and will include gravel trails, various shrubs, pet agility features and site furniture.
Poth anticipates construction on the park will begin in August with completion by the end of September.
A total of 800 metres of asphalt trails will be built within the civic yards parcel but outside the fence line so that the public can access them.
When this project is finished, a three-metre wide sidewalk will be running on the west side of the civic yards found in Riverside Heavy Industrial Park.
Poth said the sidewalk is part of a project to widen 40th Avenue in the area
Some trails through the city will also be upgraded or repaired.
Some paths are severely cracked so they need new asphalt down.
One area that will see repaving done is immediately next to the Red Deer River, from the Lions Campground north to the Three Mile Bend off-dog leash area. That involves a stretch of 1.3 km, the biggest trail overlay project for the city this year, Poth said.
It will be temporarily closed until Sunday while work is underway.
About 500 metres of North Bank trail adjacent to Riverside Drive will also be closed off until Sunday while asphalt is replaced. The trail north towards Three Mile Bend will also close temporarily.
Crews will also repave this week about one km of trail by Oriole Park School, from the intersection of Taylor Drive and Oleander Drive south to Kerry Wood Drive and Fountain Drive.
That trail will remain closed until Sunday.
A total of $400,000 in sidewalk improvements will be done this year.
ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com