A proposed trail between Springbrook and Penhold has run into a dead end.
Red Deer County had planned to build the 3.6-km link this year. The route would have been along Range Road 281, about 1.5 km east of Hwy 2A. All the necessary planning and rights-of-way are in place and $757,000 was set aside in this year’s budget.
However, those plans ran into problems because the Town of Penhold said it could not build a necessary east-west link along Secondary Hwy 592 until the area slated for industrial and commercial use is developed, said County Mayor Jim Wood. It’s not clear when that might happen.
“The time frame was unknown. So I drafted a letter from my office to (Penhold Mayor Dennis Cooper) that indicated we weren’t going to be able to proceed at this particular time.”
Wood said the problem doesn’t just rest with Penhold.
“There were other aspects of that trail that were also posing problems. I’m not trying to blame it on Penhold,” said Wood.
Among the issues the municipality is wrestling with is how to create a safe crossing at Hwy 2A. The county wants the crossing to be at the town where speeds are lower, which limits choices.
“We really tried hard to figure out a way to make this thing happen. But it just doesn’t look like it’s going to work until they are prepared to put their trail system in,” said Wood.
Cooper said it could be some time before development happens on the industrial land, so the town suggested the route be moved further east to Range Road 280. Many people already use that road to get to the Penhold Regional Multiplex and that route would hook into trails being built in the town.
Another option considered would be to move the route east of Hwy 2A. But the county is reluctant to put the trail there because it would mean crossing Hwy 2A near Springbrook, at a spot where highway speeds prevail.
Cooper said another alternative would be to use an abandoned roadbed next to the railway tracks that run on the west side of Hwy 2A as a route.
Even if the county doesn’t like the other options, they should go ahead with the trail on Range Road 281, he said.
“If they’ve acquired the right-of-ways and that, then build the trail. That’s my feeling.
“No, we’re not going to connect to it right away, but we’ll eventually connect to it.”
Cooper said Penhold and the county will continue to look at a way to make the trail happen.
“Our dialogue definitely isn’t over. We’re going to continue to try to figure out how to get around this.”
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com