Pedestrian/Bike Trail Would Include Boardwalk Under Bridge

A pedestrian/bicycle trail proposed in Sturgeon Bay would connect with Circle Ridge Road on the north side of Highway 42/57. Photo by Kevin Boneske.

A proposed trail would allow pedestrians and bicyclists in the City of Sturgeon Bay to access the Ahnapee State Trail near the Bayview Bridge without having to cross the path of motor vehicles on state Highway 42/57.

Routed under the bridge, the proposed trail is intended to provide a safe route between the Ahnapee State Trail and the area on the city’s west side north of the highway.

The new trail would connect with Circle Ridge Road on the north side of Hwy, 42/57, where a 12-foot-wide trail would be constructed to run parallel to the highway corridor toward the Bayview Bridge.

That trail segment would connect with an 8-foot-wide boardwalk, which would be built to go under the bridge and over wetland areas. It would join another 12-foot-wide trail segment that would be constructed, making a new connection to the existing Bayview Bridge Trail that has access to the Ahnapee State Trail.

Based on estimates for the project Cedar Corporation put together for the city, using crushed limestone for the trail segments on both sides of the highway that would connect to a 365-foot-long elevated boardwalk would cost $441,875.

An alternative to using crushed limestone would be to add 2.5 inches of asphalt pavement on top of the trail segments for an estimated total cost of $552,755.

The boardwalk accounts for $200,750 in those cost estimates.

Community development director Marty Olejniczak said the project is expensive, but would be good for the city, which needs to come up with more money to proceed.

Olejniczak said the city currently has $325,000 available to build the trail, with $125,000 allocated in the city budget, $100,000 awarded by the Raibrook Foundation and another $100,000 from Destination Door County’s Community Investment Fund.

As a result, he said the city likely won’t proceed with the trail this year as it seeks additional grant money.

Olejniczak said it’s more likely for the project to take place in 2025. The Common Council could decide to allocate additional city funds for next year to build the trail in the absence of enough grant funding.