Construction will start this week on 4.2 miles of the Blue Mound Trail between Luverne and the Blue Mounds State Park.
Rock County Highway Engineer Mark Sehr, who is overseeing the project, said trail reconstruction is set to begin Thursday, June 26, weather permitting.
He said the project was prompted by surface cracking that has occurred through the years since the trail was first paved in 2003.
Contractors will grind off the existing 2 ½ inches of bituminous pavement and 2 ½ inches of aggregate beneath the pavement.
These materials will be ground and mixed on site with an engineered oil to create a trail base that the new 2 ½ inches of bituminous pavement will be placed on.
Sehr said some parts of the trail, such as driveways and pedestrian entrances and exits, will have concrete placement.
Duininck Inc., Prinsburg, was the low bidder for the project at $744,565.
A grant through the state Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) covers 80 percent of the cost, and the Blue Mounds State Park’s cost share will be up to $100,000, based on the 3 miles of trail located in the park.
Rock County will provide $40,000 for its 1.2 miles of trail between Luverne and the park.
The Blue Mound Trail runs along North Blue Mound Avenue in Luverne, connecting with the picnic area parking lot at the state park.
Sehr said the trail has undergone regular surface maintenance, but large cracks continued to develop due to a poor base, and some areas are now crumbling.
He offered a tentative project timeline that calls for repaving to begin on July 22.
Topsoil shoulders and seeding will occur after pavement is in place, and completion is expected by Aug 3.
Barriers are in place and benches along the trail have been temporarily removed.
