LANSING, W.Va. — A beloved trail in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve will get a makeover thanks to the Great American Outdoors Act.
A number of people were on hand to celebrate the ground breaking of an $11.8 Million restoration effort on the Rend Trail. The trail has been opened and closed in recent years and bridges along the trail had fallen into severe disrepair.
“This is a trail that’s been kind of open and kind of closed. Most of the bridges have been out for a few years. That this is finally starting is a big moment for everybody in the community,” said Paul Coussan with the National Park Foundation.
“Rend Trail offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience the history, communities and landscapes that shaped New River Gorge,” said Acting Superintendent Eric LaPrice. “Thanks to funding from the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund, this project will improve safety and access and ensure visitors can enjoy this remarkable trail for generations to come.”
The Great American Outdoors Act was passed by Congress six years ago and has since funneled Billions of dollars into the nation’s most beloved parks to finally complete a lot of deferred maintenance.
“It’s really shone a spotlight on some of the things that over time had been put on the back burner. Infrastructure repairs, trails, buildings that for a variety of reasons were not the top priority of things that needed to be addressed in the Park Service,” said Coussan.
The Rend Trail, formerly the Thurmond-Minden Trail, stretches 3.2 miles along the New River and Dunloup Creek with views of the historic downtown and community of Thurmond. It was built in 1906 as a railroad line to haul coal. Today’s recreational trail offers scenic views and crosses five historic railroad trestles, or bridges. Structural risks from aging infrastructure have led to partial closures along the trail, including one of the main bridges, and steep terrain prevents hikers and bikers from accessing the path continuously.
In addition to rehabilitating the multi-beam bridges, the project will repair key retaining walls, resurface the trail, reroute the path around Big Rock and rehabilitate the Thurmond and Minden/Oak Hill trailheads. Together, these investments will address public safety hazards, strengthen a major recreation route and reconnect the park to communities across Fayette County.
Coussan said the Great American Outdoor Act was bi-partisan and there was very little bickering back and forth.
“It’s one of those rare moments in Washington where Republicans and Democrats came together and said, ‘You know what, we love this stuff. We want to get behind this and it needs to be taken care of,'” Coussan added.
Coussan said it’s another reminder of how beloved the nation’s National Parks are to the general population of the country.