Info from Councilwoman Amanda Fiedler's
District 5 Newsletter, emailed on August 29th, 2025:
Broadneck Trail Update
The project is nearly complete! An update on the trail and some background that may be helpful.
Broadneck IB and V (E. College Parkway to Sandy Point): This phase ran into unsuitable soil conditions towards the end of construction earlier this year and needed financial appropriations to truck in necessary soil. The County Council approved this additional funding in the FY26 budget, which went into effect on July 1. Construction will start back up in early September.
*Side Bar: SHA is set to repave E. College Parkway upon the completion of the trail and after Labor Day, so long as the temperature cooperates with asphalt pouring. *
Kimwood Boardwalk:
Construction has RESUMED.
Full completion of the Broadneck Trail is anticipated In November. All but the boardwalk at Kimwood will be open shortly.
Q&A/History:
Why didn’t the county use one contractor?
The Broadneck Trail received its first funding in the fiscal year 2000 budget, nearly 25 years ago. It is kind of amazing to know that the idea of the trail came years before this, so the total time from idea to construction and near completion has been roughly 30 years. It does appear from general glance to be a relatively simple project, but behind the scenes it has been more complex.
The county has a Capital Improvement Project (CIP) budget every year. Unfortunately, government construction takes a lot longer than a construction project a private citizen would undergo. Government has a significant number of rules and regulations that must be completed and adhered to, and hundreds of active construction projects at any given point in a year. The CIP budget is a 6 years process at least. It is rare that it would take a private citizen 6 years to get a construction project done.
The Broadneck Trail is funded through county funds, state grants and federal grants. While the county has been prepared each year to fund the county portion, there have been years where the state or federal grants didn't come to fruition as expected, and so this delayed the timeline until the grant funding was received.
The Broadneck Trail was broken into six phases because each section is both expensive, but also unique in its topography, and proximity to private properties. While there was an initial overall design of the entire trail, more detailed design was done for each individual section to account for things like steep slopes, forest conservation, and land acquisition (purchasing land from a private property owner) in order to complete the entire trail.
Because the trail was broken into six phases, each phase had to go through the same process. Plans and Engineering, and competitive bidding process for construction. This is followed by obtaining permits to build, which can be a lengthy process, and finally the construction. Since each phase went through this process, each phase has been constructed by a different company.
Why is the trail taking so long to finish?
There have been delays along the way, and each phase has been impacted by long periods of rain and/or colder winter temperatures (especially this past winter). Phase II (Bay Dale to Green Holly) was delayed by over a year because the state's grant funding was delayed. There have been unforeseen obstacles, including underground utility conflicts with Phase III.
Why does the trail cross College Parkway at the Community College?
The trail crosses to the south side of College Parkway at the Community College because the north side lacked appropriate Right of Way to meet required shared use path width and adjusted curb cuts with the existing roadway. The existing sidewalk on the north side sits right up to the private property lines of the residential lots.
---
