Date:
Friday, October 13, 2006
Contact:
Todd Jennings, Volunteers for Outdoor Washington, Seattle, (206) 517-3019, (206) 617-3129 (cell). E-mail todd@trailvolunteers.org
Jeff Adamson, North Central Region Communications Manager, Wenatchee, (509) 667-2815, (509) 669-8778 Cell. E-mail: adamsoj@wsdot.wa.gov
SKYKOMISH – A ribbon cutting ceremony a few hundred yards from US Highway 2, eight miles east of Skykomish at the Iron Goat Trail Interpretive Site and Rest Area marked completion of work to construct the facility that has been more than 15 years in planning and funding. The formal ceremony to open the site was set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 14th. Washington State Department of Transportation Secretary Doug MacDonald spoke, as did Third District King County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert and others. Volunteers for Outdoor Washington’s Iron Goat Trail Coordinator, Ruth Ittner, was honored to cut the ribbon. She was the driving force behind the project from its conception to its completion.
WSDOT, Volunteers for Outdoor Washington, the U.S. Forest Service and King County worked together to design the site on US 2 at Milepost 58.3, the intersection of the Old Cascade Highway (a King County road). As the primary property owner, WSDOT is acting as lead agency to build the interpretive site, trailhead, parking lot and rest room facilities. The project also includes placing rail sections adjacent to the parking area and rest rooms to accommodate an historic Great Northern Railway caboose. The project also constructs a connecting trail to the Scenic segment of the Iron Goat Trail and a one-mile hiker trail to Windy Point Overlook. The Scenic segment is built to American’s with Disabilities Act standards to be wheelchair accessible.
The Iron Goat Trail is located on old, abandoned Great Northern Railroad right of way and is divided into two sections; an upper grade and lower grade. Currently there are two trailheads along this eight-mile section that allow trail access at Martin Creek and at Wellington. When completed, the new trail will provide a third trailhead.
A contract for $599,414.00 was awarded in early July, to Tri Maxx Construction, Inc. Work got underway on July 24th and was completed October 7th, 2006, on time and on budget.
Visit the Iron Goat Interpretive Site Project Web page: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Regions/NorthCentral/projects/IronGoatInterpretive/
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