A revamped ramp at Dungeness River Railroad Bridge will be constructed

beginning March 29 after a year of discussion. Avid bicyclists Dave Le

Roux, volunteer for Peninsula Trails Coalition, left, and Harold

Andersen, professional engineer for Quadra Engineering, right, said

this remodel would make it easier for all bicyclists to use the bridge.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Soon-to-be construction at Railroad Bridge Park, 2151 W. Hendrickson Road, Sequim, should make riding the Olympic Discovery Trail a smoother experience.

Peninsula Trails Coalition volunteers plan to rebuild the east ramp of the bridge over the Dungeness River beginning Monday, March 29. 

Dave Le Roux, project coordinator, said the ramp’s sharp corners make it hard for tandem bicycles, bicycles with trailers and recumbent tricycles to get onto the bridge.

The ramp will be widened to 8 feet and extended lengthwise.

The bridge will remain open with the left stairwell accessible during the one-to two-week construction period.

“It’ll be safer because it separates pedestrians and bicycles,” Le Roux said.

Runners and walkers will benefit by going directly onto the bridge rather than weaving.

Le Roux, who coordinated efforts to re-deck the railroad bridge in 1992 and the Johnson Creek and Morse Creek trestles, said when the ramp first was built there was only 100 feet of right of way.

The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, which owns the property, granted the trails coalition permission to redo the ramp and paid for a tree’s removal, making the project possible.

Renovation costs
Le Roux said the project will cost about $13,000, with most funds raised already.

Quadra Engineering professional engineer Harold Andersen donated the design, and all labor will be volunteer.

All materials will come from local businesses that give back to the community, Le Roux said.

Bob Boekelheide, Dungeness River Audubon Center director, said new signage will be installed in conjunction with the project, such as “Pedestrians ahead.”

“This is one of the most, if not the most, heavily used sections of the Olympic Discovery Trail and we try our best to accommodate all users of their trails,” he said.

“We want the park to be used by the physically challenged to the long-distance runners and we want them all to use the park safely and cooperatively.”

Fundraising efforts are ongoing, and volunteers are needed for this and other trail projects.
For more information, contact Dave Le Roux at 775-7364 or visit www.olympicdiscoverytrail.com.

Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.