Eroding bank threatens Ship Creek Trail

Creek water has undercut a short stretch of the 2.6-mile paved trail near Reeve Boulevard. Concrete barriers, orange cones and blue plastic fencing have been installed to keep bicyclists and pedestrians off a quarter-mile of trail that's been used for eight years -- although the official opening of the entire trail came less than two years ago.

As the creek makes a big S turn through a wide section, the bank has eroded to within a foot of asphalt. There's about a 15-foot dropoff to the creek. A dislodged and bending birch is half in, half out of the water. Nearby, a 60-foot cottonwood is submerged, only its root wad pointing skyward.

"In any creek, it's difficult to know where there's going to be erosion," said Lori Schanche, the non-motorized transportation coordinator for Anchorage. "It's not only erosion, but groundwater that's coming out, and that's the biggest thing taking the trail away."

Some 30 feet of trail is threatened.

Ship Creek and the seeps under the trail have been eroding its base for years, but the problem worsened a week ago. Municipal officials decided the trail was no longer safe and erected barricades.

On Thursday, Schanche met with an engineer and a representative of Alaska Railroad, which owns adjacent property. And today, she'll meet with representatives from the railroad, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the federal Environmental Protection Agency and city planners to determine what should be done.

Following that, the cost of a temporary trail will be estimated. Later this summer, the trail will be permanently rerouted and the bank bolstered if necessary after discussions with hydrologists and the Alaska Railroad.

"One thing that's been suggested is maybe a terraced thing down the bank so the bank can erode as it needs to," Schanche said. "Right now, we're mainly trying to get the trail open."

First proposed in 1995, the trail was financed primarily through parks and recreation bonds and federal grants. Alaska Railroad contributed $1.5 million.

The Ship Creek Trail helps extend the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail at Second Avenue east along the creek, though that requires negotiating some city streets near Alaska Railroad headquarters. It also nears the trail paralleling the Glenn Highway out past Eagle River, but making that connection, too, requires using streets in Mountain View.

"I was surprised," said bike commuter Bob Voris, who travels the trail regularly going to and from work in Spenard. "You would think they would engineer their way around something like that. Rivers are unpredictable and you can't tell what's going to happen with them. I'll be happy when we get it back."

Detour signs were posted Friday.The trail, frequently wedged between heavy industry and the gurgling creek, has seen increasing use, Schanche said.

"A lot of people are enjoying it," Schanche said. "It was one of those undiscovered things, but in the last couple of years, a lot of people have discovered it and it sees some regular riders."

Count Voris among them.

"It's much quieter than the Chester Creek Trail," said Voris, who alternates between the two of them on his commutes. "I've been hoping to see a bear and last week in Mountain View at Davis Park, I finally did."

Reach reporter Mike Campbell at mcampbell@adn.com or 257-4329.