Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64took up added too many days to the calendar and it was no longer possible to replace the bridge in 2016. The new plan is to bid out the bridge this year and commence repairs in spring of 2017. While this is not our ideal scenario, it does allow us to get better prices from contractors when we put it out to bid as the work will be easier in better weather conditions. We will need to route Corridor 108 across the Poland covered bridge for one more year while we get the repair work completed. This project should just about finish out the funds left in the Federal earmark. Phase 1C Because of the work needed on Bridge 68, work on Phase 1C (Sheldon, Highgate, and Swanton) won’t be able to commence until 2018 at the earliest. An initial assessment of the trail was done in the late spring to document changes from the 2008 plans. In general, the trail tread is in decent shape. The biggest problem for the Franklin County section will be the stone box culverts. While several of the blown out culverts are covered under FEMA, there is an additional washout on the Highate/Swanton border that is 100ft wide by 50ft deep. There are additional culverts that will need replacement that were originally just going to be cleaned. While there are additional areas that need attention, we have learned much from our first two contracts. We will be working with Towns, partner organizations, and local clubs to plan our rehabilitation efforts and run our contracts efficiently. Fletcher, Fairfield, Bakersfield The section of trail that connects between Franklin and Lamoille counties is part of Phase II which has not yet been permitted through ACT 250. While we are not allowed to put any of the construction funds into this portion of the trail, we are able to conduct maintenance activities for winter use. The local clubs in both counties have been putting in a tremendous effort to open up the corridor for the ’16-’17 season. They have had to deal with thick brush, washouts and beaver issues, but their persistence is paying off and they are on track to have the trail open for the winter season. FEMA There have been three major FEMA projects in the last year. All three projects were run by VTrans and awarded to J. P. Sicard as the lowest bidder. The first was in St. Johnsbury and Danville to address two washouts on deep sections of trail.The trail in this section had already been completed and there was some concern about damage. Sicard has completed the work and repaired the trail on their way out. The areas are stabilizing and they will be back to remove the temporary fencing and other markers once final stabilization has been complete. The second area was in Hardwick where the river rose up and eroded out a portion of the trail. Sicard built up the area with large rip-rap stone and installed a new culvert. The splash pad for the culvert washed out exposing the matting below, but they came back in and fixed it with new stone. The third area is in Highgate and is currently being workedon.Therearethreeareasthatneededtobefixed. The first site is a plugged culvert where a portion of the trail has slumped in. Sicard has flushed out the culvert and will be repairing the slumped trail with rip-rap and new materials. The second is a small wash alongside of the trail that will be repaired with stone. The third site is a large washout that is 113’ across and over 100’ deep. A stone box culvert plugged and the water built up on the inlet forced its way through the structure causing a 30’geyser to form in the center of the trail, washing out the sandy subsurface. Sicard has finished the clearing and will be building a temporary access down to the toe-of-slope. They will be building up the trail back to grade with rip-rap and new materials. Maintenance Now that a third of the trail is open for year-round use, we are adjusting to the new challenges of maintenance. We have developed a basic maintenance plan that is LVRT CONTINUED 21