Over the next few months, maintenance work will be conducted on the Meadow Creek stream restoration project to address areas of streambank erosion. Annual monitoring reports have detailed some areas of instability following the initial restoration efforts. Spot repairs have been conducted over the past several years, but have not been successful at fully addressing the erosion. A detailed design has been developed for a more comprehensive repair to fix these problem areas and ensure long-term success.

Work will begin the week of October 14, and will take several months to complete. The majority of the work will be conducted in the upstream portion of the project, from Michie Drive to Pepsi Place. Two isolated areas in Greenbrier Park will also be addressed. The work will begin near Michie Drive, and the contractors will work from upstream to downstream and expect to be completing the work in Greenbrier Park in January. Activities to be conducted include removing select in-stream structures that are not functioning properly, grading in certain areas to reduce the steep height of streambanks and ensure the channel remains stable, and placing new structures made of primarily woody material at key locations to reduce erosive energy. Disturbance of existing plantings will be minimized as much as possible, and additional plantings will be installed where needed following the restoration work.

No trail closures along the RT on the east side of the creek are anticipated to be needed at this time.

For those users of the River North segment of the RT -- and in particular the early risers -- please be aware that bow hunting to reduce the deer population has resumed in Dunlora. Hunting may take place seven days a week and initially will be during dawn hours, 5:00 AM to 8:00 AM. Hours will be extended to 5:00 AM to 9:00 AM starting September 28. Please do not use Dunlora private property at any time during these hunting hours.

The area which will be used is the private property of the Dunlora Community Association and is so marked with signs. Hunting will be roughly confined to the area bounded by the Rivanna River, eastern property boundaries of homes on Barclay Hill and King William Drive, Dunlora Farm Road, and the boundary with Belvedere.

The season will conclude in the middle of March 2020, but is expected to resume next fall.

The new bridge over Meadow Creek between Locust Avenue and Lochlyn Hill was installed this week! There is still work to be done on the approaches, so be alert to continuing construction. This bridge will allow us to open a connection from the main RT loop to the trails through Pen Park and Dunlora. Also, the City will be developing an improved path along the north side of the creek, connecting to Holmes and running parallel to the rustic RT on the south side. The bridge is a proffer by the Lochlyn Hills development.

From the end of Locust Avenue/Meghan Court, the new bridge is at the bottom of the hill when you first reach the creek.

Thanks to a partnership with the Willoughby Neighborhood, the Rivanna Trail loop now follows Moore's Creek between 5th Street Station and Jordan Park, eliminating a long road walk along 5th Street. Improved bridges have gone in, and the August work party gave the stretch a good mowing. We've started installing RT signage and blazes--updating our maps and the RTF app are still to come.

The segment has a number of connections to the neighborhood that are not public--please respect the residents' generosity in making this section available by staying on only the main path.

The Woolen Mills redevelopment includes a bridge over Moore's Creek that will close a major gap in the southeast segment of the RT. A recent story on CBS19 News, containing an interview with RTF board member John Lewis, highlights the importance of this project to completing the RT loop.

https://www.cbs19news.com/content/news/Woolen-Mills-project-will-boost-Rivanna-Trail-511927151.html

Construction is scheduled to begin this week on a new bridge over Meadow Creek, from the Locust/Holmes segment of the RT to the development at Lochlyn Hill. The work should not impact the Rivanna Trail, but there may be brief closures as equipment moves in and out from Megan Court.

The new bridge will provide a direct connection between the Rivanna Trail loop and Pen Park, linking to the River North trails.

A segment of the Rivanna Trail just south of Ivy Road will be closed May 28-31, between the hours of 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Signage and fencing will be installed, and flaggers will be monitoring the operations and use of the trail. Users of the trail will want to use the various spur trails on Observatory Hill to connect to nearby streets and bypass the work site.

Construction has commenced on a sewer line project to serve the new development planned for the site of the former Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center. The project runs through the end of the year; while additional closures may be required, the project crew will minimize impacts to the RT and keep closures to a minimum.

For the duration of the project, safety fencing and signage will be in place to provide a safety barrier and prevent access to the construction site.

Robust bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improves the quality of life for all residents. The recently-completed Jefferson Area Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan maps a comprehensive network of bike lanes, sidewalks, and shared use paths that connect Charlottesville and Albemarle neighborhoods to schools, shopping, downtown and natural areas. The Rivanna Trail is one piece of that network, the expansion of which is of vital importance to our community.

Deer hunting will cease in Dunlora's common area at 9:00 A.M., Friday, March 15th. Culling will resume around mid-August.