A trail that was once a highlight of the city's Living Levee Trail Loop, taking walkers close to the Grand River on a stroll through local history toward the Cambridge to Paris Rail trail on Water Street South, will likely not be reopened after spring flooding damaged it beyond repair.
The asphalt Water Street Trail, which runs along the Grand from the Concession Street bridge to Ainslie Street South, was in rough shape, full of potholes and failing structurally when the city's sustainable transportation coordinator Lisa Chominiec told the Cambridge Cycling and Trails Advisory Committee (CCTAC) about its condition in May.
The city was seeking support from CCTAC to close the trail because it no longer met the definition of an AAA (all ages and abilities) trail, was no longer accessible and was too expensive to maintain.
The closure, Chominiec said, comes "with the assurance of plans for an alternative off-road connection, recognizing the important link this serves to the Cambridge to Paris rail trail."
The committee wanted to know how damaged parts of the trail would be decommissioned and questioned if it can ever be reinstated as a trail in the future.
So far, the city has closed the stairs leading down to the trail at Barradell's Lofts ruins and at the Concession Street bridge, and posted a sign prohibiting use at the Ainslie Street trailhead.
City staff said they are still "reviewing the scope of long-term solutions for this trail and its associated connections."
