MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The city of Morgantown will open bids for a unique trail project centered around the Flegal Dam and Reservoir on October 9 at 2 p.m.
The Flegal Dam and Reservoir is operated by the Morgantown Utility Board and was completed last year as an alternate water supply. The 370-million-gallon reservoir that can provide up to 30-days of fresh water in the event of an emergency and now will serve a dual role as a community amenity.
Morgantown Staff Engineer Drew Gatlin said the project design is the work of the WVU Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative, the Morgantown Utility Board, and the city of Morgantown.
The trail loop will include about 12,800 feet of main trail, 10,500 feet of secondary trail, and about 2,300 feet of fishing access trails that will have stair access to the water.
“This is the first formally designed trail project the city has put out for bid in a long time,” Gatlin said. “And certainly the only and first modern trail design, so it’s a bit of a new thing for us.”
The main trail will have a natural surface with stone in some areas and will be about four feet wide. The trail will provide views of the reservoir and surrounding Cobun Creek area.
“It’s going to have nice open sight lines,” Gatlin said. “It will be able to accommodate two-way traffic; users will not surprise each other on that trail.”
The secondary trail loop will be a bit more challenging with more features and elevation changes. The trail will have a natural surface that varies from stone in some areas. The fishing trails will be slightly more narrow with stair access to the water.
“They’ll have a little bit tighter turns; they’re going to have some climbing turns that will go a little higher in elevation and things like that,” Gatlin said. “Ultimately, we’ll have some fishing access trails that are going to be pedestrian limited.”
Gatlin said the stairs prevent direct access to the water by wheeled traffic and are designed to give pedestrians easy access to fish or be by the water.
“Those will serve as filters to remind people those are pedestrian only,” Gatlin said. “They should give folks good access to the stocked waters the state Department of Natural Resources is managing for us.”
At press time, the estimated cost of the project was available, but it will be funded with funds from the American Rescue Plan. Gatlin said the project will likely take at least nine months to build.
“This is the last of the coronavirus relief dollars,” Gatlin said. “We are on a timeline to get the contract under agreement by December of this year and have all the money spent by December of 2026.”