Bugline Paving Project Nears the Starting Gate

The initial proposal to pave the Bugline Trail sparked a hardy conversation between proponents and opponents of the project, but it’s a done deal and the crushed limestone path will be a thing of the past.

However, now the question is, “When will the path be paved?”

The project, organized through the county, is now being placed for contractor bids on the Waukesha County website and in the local paper. The deadline to submit a bid is June 4. Waukesha County Parks Program Specialist Ginny Bocek said they anticipate the first phase of paving on the trail would begin in early August and be completed in fall.

More on Patch: The Bugline Trail Paving Project: 

• Bugline Trail Meeting More Than Ruffles Some Feathers

The Bugline project will be completed in two phases. The first phase includes the portion of the trail from Merton to Highway 164 in Sussex. The second phase includes the rest of the trail, which ends in Menomonee Falls. In the coming months, the county will also repair bridges located in the first phase of the project.

The second phase would be completed in fall 2014.

For county officials, the time was right to pave the trail. Roughly $1.5 million of the project cost would be funded by a Federal Transportation Enhancement grant, and another $250,000 would be funded by stewardship grants from the state. The remaining $650,000 would be funded through the county’s capital improvements budget. If the federal funding wasn’t used, it would end up heading to a different project in another part of the country.

According to county engineering officials at the meeting, the life expectancy of the trail can hover between 15 and 20 years. But with regular preventative maintenance, that life could be extended.

Eventual replacement costs would be a fraction of the initial installation costs as well. Estimates have ranged and roughly 30 to 40 percent of installation costs, according to county estimates.

In August 2012, Falls resident  to office of Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas opposing the project. Opponents wished to maintain the trail’s rustic charm, and ensure access to horses and snowmobiles. County officials said the paving project would not limit access for any of its users.