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Consultant presents multi‑county trail options, flags railroad and maintenance hurdles
Summary
An SEH consultant described east–west trail route alternatives connecting Mora to Hinkley, including a ~12‑mile railroad‑follow route and a ~13‑mile highway route with differing cost estimates and right‑of‑way constraints; commissioners and public raised maintenance funding concerns.
Greg Anderson of SEH (Speaker 10) presented a draft regional trail master plan assessing three route alternatives to link Mora, Brook Park and Hinkley and potentially connect to the Munger Trail. Anderson summarized prior 2014 work and explained that Route B — following the rail corridor — measured a little under 12 miles and had an estimated construction cost in the low‑tens of millions, while the Route C highway alignment was nearly 13 miles and carried a lower per‑mile estimate near $7 million.
Anderson cautioned that railroad ownership and right‑of‑way concerns could make the rail route infeasible, noting he contacted the railroad and it "probably would not allow" a trail on its property. He also emphasized recurring maintenance costs as a key funding question; one resident in public comment said perpetual maintenance and the burden on local taxpayers were the largest concerns. Commissioners discussed grant and legacy funding options and encouraged continued coordination with neighboring counties and cities to make the project regionally competitive for outside funding.
