McMahon & Mann and Bergmann were retained by the New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation to assess the conditions of the Upper Falls Trail and develop rehabilitation recommendations and plans to improve the trail.
The Genesee River carved the canyon of Letchworth State Park at the western end of the Finger Lakes Region of New York. The Upper Falls Trail traverses up the side of the canyon, putting pedestrians close to rock slopes that have continued to erode since the formation of the canyon.
McMahon & Mann and Bergmann were retained by NYS Parks to assess the conditions of the Upper Falls Trail and develop rehabilitation recommendations and plans to improve the trail. We presented design options to Parks for reducing the risk posed to pedestrians. The options included slope stabilization, repair, and/or trail realignment. Parks elected to stabilize the rock slopes and repair the existing trail.
McMahon & Mann and Bergmann prepared specifications and design drawings to stabilize the slopes and improve the trail. The plans included rock-slope scaling, rock bolting, shotcrete-slope reinforcement, drainage, and trail surface improvements. We observed construction on a part-time basis, and assisted Parks and the contractor in identifying the slope stabilization measures that were outlined in the design documents. Construction was completed in Fall 2017.
