Published: November 09, 2009 11:32 pm      

Stimulus funds paying for resurfacing project on Canal towpath

Work on stretch between city, Hancock to begin in early 2010

CUMBERLAND — Tire-grabbing ruts and unofficial swimming holes along the C&O Canal towpath, made possible by heavy rains, will soon be as historical as the famous canal itself when a resurfacing project clears the pedestrian pathway next year.

John Hitchcock, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act coordinator for the National Park Service, said the resurfacing project is to be funded through $661,000 of federal stimulus money and will focus on the towpath between Hancock and Cumberland, beginning in the Oldtown district. The park service is in the process of hiring eight temporary workers who will earn wages between $18 and $27.55 per hour for the job. Work is expected to start early next year and be completed by Sept. 30.

Hitchcock said the bulk of previous funding went to restore and maintain the 184.5-mile towpath in the Palisades District, which covers miles 0 to 42 from Harpers Ferry, W.Va., to Georgetown. The federal funding along with increased visitors from the adjoining Great Allegheny Passage are two reasons why this project will start in Western Maryland.

The towpath, he said, “is not in poor condition. It’s routine maintenance that we’re utilizing this funding for to eliminate dips on the sides and give it a level base.”

“We’re taking it from good to better,” Hitchcock said.

Work to be performed by a towpath paving crew, comprised of motor vehicle operators, engineering equipment operators and a maintenance mechanic leader as foreman, includes preparing the towpath in some sections to be repaired and resurfaced and trimming trees on an as-needed basis.

“One of the items, or pieces of equipment that is different, is we’re testing out using a paving machine to lay out the existing towpath base,” Hitchcock said. “We’re hoping this will not only make things go a little faster but also reduce material overspill that we have historically (experienced). This will make things a lot cleaner.”

Workers will replace the existing crush-and-run topping with a new layer of the same material.

Hitchcock said previous maintenance efforts have focused on the Palisades District because that portion, with a larger base population and more tourist attractions, draws more visitors on a regular basis.

The park service will oversee $12 million that will help restore sections of the towpath, including the Big Slackwater area in Washington County located near Dam No. 4 in Williamsport.

That portion of the towpath has been closed to public access since it washed out in successive floods in 1972, 1985 and 1996, according to the C&O Canal Association.

Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.