Loop Trail reopening delayed as south-end bridge project stretches into fall 2027

WENATCHEE — The Apple Capital Loop Trail’s south-end connection will not reopen in November as previously targeted, and completion of the broader bike and pedestrian bridge project is now expected in fall 2027, city officials told the Wenatchee City Council Sept. 24.

Engineering Services Manager Nicole Brockwell said delays involving lighting and handrail installation have pushed back the November milestone for restoring the trail connection. The city has not established a revised reopening date.

“We know this detour has been very impactful,” Brockwell said.

The trail reopening and completion of the full project are separate milestones. Staff had been working to restore the Loop Trail connection before finishing the remaining construction, much of which is on the west side of the BNSF railroad tracks.

To reopen the connection, crews must finish safety features on the ramp structure in Hale Park that will allow users to reach the existing pedestrian bridge across the Columbia River. Brockwell said procurement delays affecting the lighting system and construction issues involving the handrail have made the November target unattainable.

The city is working with its contractor and construction management team to resolve those issues and determine when the connection can safely open.

There was more encouraging news for the East Wenatchee side of the project, where Brockwell said trail restoration was nearing completion. Staff expected to remove that detour by the end of October.

On the Wenatchee side, the city planned to refresh shared-lane pavement markings on South Wenatchee Avenue to improve safety along the detour, which will remain in place longer than originally anticipated.

City Engineer Jake Lewing described a construction site complicated by overlapping utility infrastructure and restrictions on when crews can work near the railroad and irrigation system.

BNSF limits work in or near its tracks during certain periods of the year. An irrigation line can only be worked on during winter months, but some of that window overlaps with railroad restrictions.

The area also contains electrical transmission lines serving Wenatchee and a natural gas main that crosses the tracks and supplies East Wenatchee.

“There’s a lot of utilities on top of each other that are very close coordination,” Lewing said.

Delays in third-party utility work prevented the city from relocating part of the irrigation line last year, Brockwell said. That work must now occur during the next available window, delaying construction of the project’s helical ramp and pushing the overall completion timeline into fall 2027.

The council approved two contracts to support the project through the remaining work.

One adds $819,202.38 in services through an amendment to the city’s agreement with Exeltech Consulting Inc. The additional funding will keep construction management staff, inspectors and the engineer of record involved for the extended construction period.

The other authorizes a separate owner-adviser contract with a ceiling slightly below $350,000 through project completion. Lewing said the adviser will supplement city staff by attending meetings, monitoring schedules, evaluating risks and providing technical expertise.

Lewing said Brockwell has continued managing the bridge project while taking on broader responsibility for the city’s capital program, which includes more than $70 million in ongoing projects.

The adviser will add staff capacity without replacing the project’s contractor, inspectors or engineer of record, he said. The city has used a similar arrangement for Confluence Parkway.

Both contracts fit within existing project funding and do not require a budget amendment, staff said.

Despite the delays, construction has reached a visible milestone: Brockwell said the bridge truss over the BNSF tracks had been set a few weeks before the meeting.

“It is really starting to come together out there,” she said. “And it’ll be a great connection between both communities.”

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media