Say “Hello” (from a distance) to the New Greenway Trail!
● The new Greenway trail surface is still hardening.
● Please do not use the trail until barriers are removed!
The improvements to the Greenway trail are almost complete. The trail building team has been adding the finishing touches to their work this week. Then we must wait patiently for the new trail surface to cure. This will take about one week. While we wait we’ll keep barriers across entrances to the trail to divert walkers onto Bosworth or Chenery streets. The sections of trail may complete their curing period at different times so you may discover that one segment has been opened while others remain closed.
The new trail surface was specially chosen for permeability combined with resistance to erosion.
It is made of decomposed granite mixed with psyllium husks which work well as a bond to keep
the granite aggregate firm enough to walk on. You may be aware of psyllium husks as an
ingredient in various products to improve digestive health (ever tried Metamucil?). On the
Metamucil box we read that psyllium husks “reduce transit time.” Perhaps they’ll also speed our
progress as we walk along the Greenway.
We built the path surface to be firm and dry for foot traffic because the Greenway is intended for
people walking through the neighborhood or hiking the Crosstown Trail. It is not designed for
wheeled traffic. A stroller carrying the weight of one or two young children distributed around
four wheels with soft rubber rims won’t do much damage. However, bicycles will damage the
trail surface as will skate boards. While on the trail, please carry your skateboard and walk your
bike if you’d rather not ride on Chenery or Bosworth Streets.
Many thanks to everyone who has avoided the Greenway Trail during the trail improvement
work. Please give it a chance to harden properly so we can all enjoy the new trail for many
years to come.