The most well used naturalized rail trail in Guelph needs your help, says a local hiking trail organization.
The Guelph Hiking Trail Club is aiming to raise $50,000 for a new bridge to replace cement blocks along part of the James Street Trail through its Build A Bridge campaign.
Club president John Fisher said the project is in collaboration with the University of Guelph and Cutten Fields.
“It is a good, collaborative story where all the functions and all the community is getting together to improve the community,” he said about the project. “It really is an all-hands on deck effort.”
Originally an electric railway between Guelph and Toronto in the 1920s, the James Street Trail was converted into a popular walkway after the rails were removed in 1931.
Blocks were added in 1965 as a crossing over a newly constructed storm water outfall, but over time the blocks shifted and made part of the path inaccessible.
“It should’ve been done way back in the 60s,” he said about putting in a bridge, “Part of the problem was it’s on university property, this really wasn’t a city initiative.”
Fisher said being a private organization, the GHTC can act more nimbly than the city.
“Last year we negotiated with the university to manage the trail through the Guelph Hiking Trail Club...and we were able to enter into a licence agreement with them to do that, and as a part of that, we wanted to mitigate the risks, we wanted to put a bridge up … and everyone agreed to do that,” he explains.
When completed, the bridge will be 30 feet long and eight feet wide made out of wood and steel.
“Originally we were going to build a wooden bridge, a pedestrian bridge,” Fisher recalls, “And actually the community said, 'we want something better, we want something more accessible, something that we can drive over and maintain over time.'”
The bridge was designed by Tacoma Engineers Inc. and GM BluePlan Engineering Limited.
“They put together all the designs, and those designs were submitted to the GRCA and they got approved,” he said, “So this is a professionally engineered and designed bridge.”
“Our intention is to have a bridge in there by Labour Day,”
Along with the bridge, Fisher mentions they are also planning to put an interpretive plaque on Gordon Street, which will introduce residents to the James Street Trail.
Although the campaign just started, it has already raised over $10,000. The City of Guelph donated $5,000 toward the project through a Community Benefit Agreement.
With the campaign running until April 30, Fisher said the club hopes many of the groups who use the trail will be able to help support the project.
“The community does a great job in contributing to lots of things, but very rarely is it something tangible,” said Fisher.
“This something you can actually contribute to and touch it, and say I did this, I contributed to a little bit of this bridge, I’m proud of it.”
Those interested in donating to the campaign can do so here. For more information about the GHTC, go to guelphhiking.com.
