Tunnel Project Stalled

Mountain biking

Trail promoters are rallying interest among mountain bikers to write their congressmen for help in reactivating the stalled Taft Tunnel trail project

The trail, also known as the Route of the Hiawatha, is a 20-mile route on an abandoned railway running from Lookout Pass to the North Fork of the St. Joe River.

The trail includes eight trestles and 11 tunnels, including the 1.7-mile Taft Tunnel, which has been closed by the U.S. Forest Service until repairs can be completed to assure its safety.

“Many mountain bikers believe this trail will become one of the most famous in the Pacific Northwest, if not the United States,” said Jim Fowler of Lookout Pass Ski Area and trail promoter.

But without public support, the trail may never reopen, Fowler said.

“The Forest Service has its heels dug in saying we need $1.4 million to fix the tunnel,” he said. “We can’t come up with that much money. But we have eight professional engineers who agree the tunnel can be made safe for less than $250,000. It wouldn’t be as pretty, but we just want to get the tunnel fixed so we can get the trail open.”

Fowler said Forest Service officials also are balking on turning over authority for the tunnel to local governments. “They say it’s illegal, but be we have opinions to the contrary,” he said.

Although Idaho residents are working hard on the project, the majority of mountain bikers who use the railway trails near Lookout Pass are from the Spokane area, Fowler said.

“We need everyone’s help and support right now, or there won’t be a trail,” he said.

Info: Taft Tunnel Preservation Society, P.O. Box 122, Wallace, Idaho 83873, telephone, (208) 556-3911.

, DataTimes