Unfinished Friendship Trail in Clayton poses hazards for bicyclists

Reader question: Is the restoration of the Friendship Trail in Clayton finished? I ventured onto the trail and encountered large, loose stones and raised manhole covers. It is extremely dangerous for anyone on bikes who may not have the best bike handling skills.

Answer: The section of the Friendship Trail between Clayton Avenue and State 76 is not finished and poses many hazards for bicyclists more than two years after the work was supposed to be done.

The trail was torn up for the installation of Clayton's sanitary sewer and water pipes, costing $1.7 million and $1.3 million, respectively. The work, including the restoration of the trail, was scheduled to be completed in July 2021.

Supply-chain issues with the water pipes pushed the project into 2022. Trees were planted along the trail in late 2022, but many of them died, requiring new trees to be planted in the spring. The final step is to grade the trail with screenings, which are small crushed stone pieces and fines.

The screenings will raise the trail to the manhole covers and smooth the surface to make it suitable for bicyclists.

Town Chairman Russ Geise said Clayton officials want to return the trail to a usable condition as quickly as possible. He's been fielding complaints about the trail for some time.

"We are hoping to complete the project this fall, depending on how the trees are doing," Geise said.

The town doesn't want to regrade the trail until it knows the trees will survive because the equipment needed for replanting otherwise would damage the finished trail.

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Geise said Clayton has no immediate plan or money to pave the trail, as Fox Crossing did with the section to the east.

"Down the road we do want to get that done as it would add greatly to what the residents have come to expect of our trail system," he said.

The western leg of the Friendship Trail runs parallel to U.S. 10 in Winnebago County and links to the Wiouwash Trail. The Friendship Trail eventually will run between Manitowoc and Stevens Point.

Post-Crescent reporter Duke Behnke answers your questions about local government. Send questions to [email protected] or call him at 920-993-7176.