“One good thing about letting it go until next year is it will give the trail a chance to go through a freeze, thaw cycle,” said Noetzelman. He said going through the cycle will help alleviate any settlement issues that could arise before the final touches are put on the trail.

In the spring, Noetzelman said crews will return to the bike trail once road restrictions has been lifted, which usually occurs sometime in May. With all of the pipe work and drains already installed, all-that-remains for crews is any work which can’t be completed because of the weather this fall, as well as the final layer of bituminous and seeding of the grass.

Once crews wrap up work this fall, Noetzelman said people can continue to use the trail this fall and next spring, but said without the final layer of bituminous, the trail will be just like walking on a gravel trail or road.