New culverts will mitigate beaver activity and flooding at Carbuncle Pond in Coventry.
PROVIDENCE – The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announces that the reconstruction of culverts on the western portion of the Trestle Trail in Coventry is underway.
Originally constructed as a railroad in the 1800s, the Trestle Trail is currently used for public recreation such as biking, horseback riding, hiking, and running. In Coventry, the trail is a combination of paved bikeway and undeveloped walking path that connects to the larger Washington Secondary Bike Path. A portion of Trestle Trail is located just downstream of Carbuncle Pond. When the railroad was built, four-foot by three foot-culverts were installed under the railroad to convey the outflow of water from Carbuncle Pond to the Moosup River, which is located south and downstream of the culverts. Beavers periodically block these stone culverts, which causes flooding and erosion along the embankments. Over time, the culverts have deteriorated and been compromised by the beaver activity as well as more frequent rainstorm events.
The project consists of replacing the two existing granite culverts with a single, open-bottom precast concrete culvert, a design that helps protect the integrity of the natural waterway and wildlife habitats. The top, where the trail is located, will remain compacted gravel; the side slopes will be loamed, seeded, and replanted with native shrubs.
The culvert and trail work are expected to be complete by January 2020, with landscaping and seeding/loaming to follow in the 2020 early spring planting window. During the reconstruction of the culverts, an undeveloped segment of the Trestle Trail will be closed to the public from the Connecticut Route 14A access area to the Moosup River Bridge, where bridge construction already is occurring. The paved segment of the Trestle Trail, opened in 2014, will not be affected.
Rhode Island is home to a wealth of historic parks, beaches, bikeways, and other recreational facilities. For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit http://www.dem.ri.gov/. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM or on Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM) for timely updates.