Photo Cathy Dausman

Large portions of the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail will close temporarily to bikes and pedestrians and become a heavy equipment construction zone during trail rehabilitation work August 1 through late October this year, but the end result will be a smoother, wider, more ADA- compliant pathway.

Trail segments under construction include three sections in Lafayette and almost the entire trail length in Moraga, except for a stretch between Moraga Road and Country Club Drive and a mile-long piece ending at the Valle Vista Trail Staging area. Parking at the St. Mary's Road Trail Staging area will be closed for the duration and the Valle Vista area will be closed as needed for truck turnaround.

"General trail maintenance is ongoing," says Diane Althoff of East Bay Parks, "trail reconstruction is dependent upon funding opportunities." Althoff is Chief of Design and Construction for the project. She says minor pavement repairs were done in 1995 and a short stretch of soil-damaged trail was reworked in 2006, but this project's goal "is to have a Class I bike trail that meets the park district standard of 10 feet wide." Dan Cunning, East Bay Parks Trails Supervisor, says long-time trails users will recall the seven mile long trail was built over 30 years ago, and is therefore "due for [re]construction."

Grade Tech, Inc., of Castro Valley, has been awarded the contract; the cost of the 1.2 million dollar project is covered jointly by funds from the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU) of 2005 and by assessment money from the Alameda and Contra Costa County Landscaping and Lighting Assessment District (Two County LLD).

Preparations were underway last month. Cunning says workers spent most of July pruning vegetation to allow easier access for construction trucks. And there will be trucks - everything from pickups to heavy duty trucks, motor graders, compactors, skip loaders, back hoes, water trucks, 10-wheel dump trucks and asphalt cold milling machines. This is not a slurry seal project; it is the full removal and reconstruction of major sections of the trail pavement.

Reconstruction of the pathway will start in Lafayette, near Topper Lane, and move toward Moraga. Cunning says the first two sections "are mandated to be finished before school starts," because both Stanley Middle School and Lafayette Elementary are near the affected pathway. "After that," he says, "there is no definite [repair] order." Meanwhile, Cunning encourages trail users to explore other trails, including the 33-mile long Iron Horse Trail, until work on the Lafayette Moraga Trail is complete.

Public notices, including a map of affected areas, are posted along the length of the trail. Users can call 1-888-EBPARKS (1-888-327-2757) with questions, or go online to http://www.ebparks.org.