New boardwalks at Independence Oaks county park will help keep walkers and skiers safe.
Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission voted this past September to approve the $120,000 project to replace the raised walkways.
Boardwalks on Springlake and Ted Gray trail, built about 30 years ago, were made by hammering pilings into the ground, and nailing in cross beams and planks, all of wood.
‘The original posts heave with the weather ? they don’t go deep enough,? said Mike Boyd, park supervisor. ‘They’re moving all the time.?
As posts heave, they pop boards on the walkway, creating an uneven and unsafe trail.
The boardwalks? swampy environment also caused problems, Boyd said.
‘Wood posts always rot,? he said.
Over the years, park workers repaired boardwalks by pulling up planks, sawing down pilings until even, and replacing with new boards. Where pilings have rotted, bigger posts have been installed, sometimes right next to the originals.
Yearly maintenance cost thousands per year, he said.
‘Spending the money now to do it right is a more appropriate use of funds,? Boyd said.New pilings are made of galvanized steel and are engineered for specific locations. They’re screwed into the ground far enough to reach solid earth, below the frost line. Metropark employees will do the work, he said.
Boardwalks are needed to cross otherwise impassible wetland swamps, Boyd said.
‘The trails are a major draw to the park. It’s important to keep them open,? he said.
The 14 miles of park trails through the Clinton River headwaters area are used all year, by walkers and cross country skiers, said Boyd, who has worked at the park for about 10 years and cross country skis on them every winter.