A favorite community hangout and link on the Olympic Discovery Trail is whole again once more.

Pedestrians and bicyclists made their way across new spans crossing the newly-restored floodplain of the Dungeness River at the historic Dungeness Railroad Bridge last week.

Restoration of the bridge eliminates a detour for users of the Olympic Discovery Trail.

An additional walkway, still under construction with an opening scheduled for later this fall, will link the trail to the outdoor patio of the recently-renovated Dungeness River Nature Center.

The popular education and culture center opened to the public in July but the bridge was closed for restoration and reconfiguration for several weeks. A detour route sent trail users north to Olympic Highway, then west to Heath Road, and finally south on Heath until it reconnected with the trail.

Floodplain restoration activities include removing the old levee south of the bridge and removing the parking lot and access road to the north.

Representatives with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe said there were a number of benefits to the project, including: •restoration of important and productive salmon habitat; long-term reduction of flood hazards for the Dungeness River Nature Center and Olympic Discovery Trail; providing a learning opportunity on the importance of floodplain restoration, and improved accessibility for this stretch of the Olympic Discovery Trail

For more about the project and the trail visit dungenessriver.org and olympicdiscoverytrail.org.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen Pedestrians and bicyclists last week check out the newly-reopened bridge at Railroad Bridge Park, part of the Olympic Discovery Trail.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen Pedestrians and bicyclists last week check out the newly-reopened bridge at Railroad Bridge Park, part of the Olympic Discovery Trail.