SECTION I
Washout at Jordan Narrows
Description
Approximately 400 feet of trail that passes through Beef Hollow was washed out in the fall of 2003. The washout was a result of water backing up Beef Hollow and unstable subsurface material, which failed. Apparently, the drainage pipes under the trail had become blocked or crushed over time. Water backed-up, undermined the Utah Lake Distribution Canal , the embankment adjacent to the canal failed, and triggered a mudslide. The canal company has repaired their canal and the access road on the eastside of the canal. 
From here the trail rises sharply to the paved Jordan River Parkway trail leading south to Utah County . This slope needs to be cut back to a more gradual incline.
Two options can be considered: The first option is to leave the trail along the east side of the canal, using the canal access road. The second option is to swing the trail around to the west side of the canal where it would connect easily to the county-planned trail head on Sunrise Dr.
The second option would also avoid a possibly dangerous section east of the existing trail where the canal enters a pipe which is between 1500' to 2000' long. If a person fell in the canal and entered the piped section, certain death would result. This trail will ultimately be accessed from the Jordan Narrows Trailhead about half a mile north and connect to the Bluffdale section of the trail system.
What needs to be done
1. It will be necessary to do some significant grading and building of protective railing to restore this section of trail.
2. Then two options can be considered:
a. The first option is to leave the trail along the east side of the canal, using the canal access road.
b. The second option is to swing the trail around to the west side of the canal where it would connect easily to the county-planned trail head on Sunrise Dr.
Concerns and Issues
• Funding was approved for Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation: $95,000 in the 2005 budget for design and construction of the damaged trail.
• Discussion of trail location may be needed.
Public Input
Most respondents ranked this section as medium-low priority.
Priority: high (1) – low (9) |
7 |
9 |
6 |
8 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
Number of Responses |
14 |
13 |
9 |
7 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
There are mixed opinions on this section. The first is that the county is going to fix it anyway, so it is a high priority. The second is to go ahead when funding is available. The third is that the trail system is complete in Utah county and needs to be finished in this section to optimize continuous sections because growth is tremendous in the southern part of the valley. Going along with this last thought are two comments that make the observation that the trail was already built here and needs to be maintained before constructing new trails. Those from Utah County want this section restored, so that Utah and SL County stay connected.
RECOMMENDATION
• This is a repair/maintenance job, although some re-design is advisable. Salt Lake County will begin construction next year on a trailhead on Sunrise Dr. (north of Camp Williams and the Veterans Memorial Cemetery , approximately 170th South and 12th West.) It makes sense to repair the trail and have this relatively cheap and easy section intact.
Click links below to view maps
Map 1
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