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City presents design shift for Jenkins Creek Trail Phase 1 to protect healthy trees and improve accessibility
Summary
City staff and consultant Herrera described a revised alignment for Jenkins Creek Trail Phase 1 that moves the main multi-use trail away from the slope and healthier trees, outlines design and environmental assessments, and says construction is targeted for 2026.
City staff and the design team for the Jenkins Creek Trail Phase 1 presented a design update to the Covington City Council on Sept. 9 that shifts the planned multi-use trail westward to reduce impacts to healthy trees, improve ADA connections and align better with the Jenkins Creek Park master plan.
“Less work on the top of the slope is better,” said Chuck McDowell, a landscape architect and project manager with Herrera, the city’s lead consultant. McDowell explained the trail move was informed by recent site assessments including an arborist report, wetland delineation, cultural-resource potholing and a geotechnical review.
Herrera’s arborist surveyed roughly 500–750 trees and identified about 564 trees that met the city’s definition of “significant” by size. Of those, McDowell said roughly 408 were deemed viable based on health and structure; he also noted laminated root rot and other forest-health problems in parts of the park. To reduce impacts on healthier trees at the top of the east bench, the design shifts the main 12-foot-wide asphalt shared-use path with 2-foot gravel shoulders further west.
McDowell said the main trail will connect State Route 516 to Southeast 260 Fourth Place, be designed to shared-use standards, and include stormwater measures, gabion retaining walls where required, and native understory plantings. The project will add two pedestrian trailheads — one at Southeast 260 Fourth Place and one behind the Red Robin on SR 516 — and will not provide parking at those trailheads. The team also is tracking an enhanced park entrance at the park’s north side (Southeast 260 Seventh Street) for inclusion if budget permits.
Within Jenkins Creek Park, the project will upgrade several informal paths to improve accessibility, install a small elevated outlook deck using or adjacent to existing footings, add two short gravel stair connections down to the lower park, and include interpretive signage. McDowell said the project team plans to include tree and understory planting for forest enhancement in areas affected by disease and nonviable trees.
Schedule milestones reported to council: site survey and initial assessments completed in spring 2025; 30% design finished in July 2025; the team is advancing 60% design and anticipates completing permits and construction documents through 2026 with construction targeted for 2026 (date not yet set). McDowell said further geotechnical investigations are scheduled and that the team will advance details on retaining structures, stormwater, planting and mitigation strategies.
Council members asked about tree replacement and open-space impacts. McDowell said replacement obligations are governed by city code’s tree-replacement standards; nonviable trees do not trigger a code-mandated replacement but the project team expects to recommend replacement and understory plantings beyond code minimums to support forest succession. He confirmed removing an eastern path will expand the lawn area slightly and that the improved north entry would formalize an informal gate and provide maintenance access.
Councilmembers praised the shift and the interpretive signage work; McDowell said the project will include three interpretive signs and emphasized efforts to locate the alignment through areas of poorer forest health where appropriate. No construction contract or final budget was approved at the meeting.
