Thursday, July 8, 2010

Hagerstown, MD — The construction project to repair the only broken section of the C&O Canal National Historical Park’s towpath has begun.  The Big Slackwater section has been closed for more than a dozen years, and the unsafe detour has been a dangerous problem for cyclists and hikers.

According to the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, a New Hampshire company won the unique $17-million contract to rebuild the washed-away towpath. Cianbro Corporation has started moving forward with the contract to rebuild a piece of crumbling American history, and the project is the largest “stimulus” project of any park in Western Maryland.

Headquartered in Pittsfield, Maine, the construction firm was been picked by the U.S. National Park Service to rehabilitate the broken portion of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park along the Potomac River near Williamsport, Maryland.  The work will be completed by Cianbro's Mid-Atlantic Regional Office in Baltimore, Maryland.

Funded mostly by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus program), the Big Slackwater Rehabilitation project will repair the 1.5-mile section of the towpath along the canal. The federal money amounts to just over $12-million and the State of Maryland stepped forward with about $4-million from Transportation Enhancement Program funding. The C&O Canal Trust, the C&O Canal Association, and the Hagerstown-Washington County CVB also have helped with funding.

The construction project will entail a wide range of improvements including tree removal, jet grouting, drilled pier installation, caisson drilling, placement of precast deck, and face panels. Most of the difficult construction work will take place from barges anchored on the Potomac River, along the cliff face where the towpath was finally washed away in 1996.
Once the renovations are completed, the entire length of the historic towpath will be accessible to the public.  The C&O Canal NHP is Maryland’s largest and most-visited national park and in the top 20 of all National Parks.

Built between 1828 and 1850, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal once served as an important transportation link for commerce in the early decades of the nation.  Nearly 200 years later, the canal is a premier destination for outdoor enthusiasts who hike and bike along the landmark’s 185 mile towpath, which is the path once used by mules to pull barges and other vessels along the canal.

The critical Big Slackwater section of the towpath near Williamsport, Maryland has crumbled over the years, especially after significant floods between 1972 and 1996.  The resulting damage has forced visitors to use a nearly six mile detour that takes them outside the boundaries of the C&O Canal National Historic Park. During the past six years, more than 36 people have been hospitalized while biking on the shoulderless country roads. Most have been struck by vehicles while traveling on the detour.

The construction project will be a challenge, since special attention is required to match new stonework with the original historical masonry.

“The construction project is putting more than 50 people to work for about two years, but the positive tourism and economic impacts will be an added benefit,” according to Tom Riford, the president and CEO of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau.  “Independent estimates show that an additional 60,000 visitors will utilize the park, after this project is complete, bringing about $2-million of added economic impact annually to our county.”

Riford said that the construction project not only restores the historic national treasure, while creating positive economic impact, it also addresses an important safety concern. “Fighting for this project was one of our county’s highest priorities during the last several years, it’s been a long time coming.”

An official groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled at the Dam 4 Road park access on August 7th at 10am, and US Senators Mikulski and Cardin have indicated that they will be attending along with Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, other elected officials, and tourism and community leaders.

The C&O Canal National Historical Park is a member of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau. For more information about the park, see: http://www.nps.gov/choh. The 184.5-mile trail which begins in Georgetown (Washington, DC) joins with the Great Allegheny Passage in Cumberland, and continues on to Pittsburgh. For more information, see: http://www.atatrail.org. The total length of the trail is 320-miles from Pittsburgh to Georgetown.

The C&O Canal NHP is headquartered in Washington County, Maryland, which contains 43-percent of the linear park’s length. For more information, see: http://www.marylandmemories.com. Washington County is home to 5 national parks, 8 state parks, over 30 museums, and is ranked first in the State of Maryland in Retail Opportunities.