The new Pineville Bike Park and the addition of a new walking/bike trail represent a "giant leap in the right direction" for McDonald County, John Hunter said.
Hunter's company, Progressive Bike Ramps, designed the bike park and trail. He's encouraged about the attention both are garnering.
"It seems that people from all over the four-state area are making their way to Pineville to check out the bike park," Hunter said. "Once the word gets out about the new unique 'pumptrail,' it will certainly get national attention from bikers and skaters who will want to make it part of their trip anytime they get even close to the area," Hunter said.
The bike park opened July 10. Now, crews are finished with the new trail and a date will be set soon to celebrate its opening. The Pineville City Council coupled its efforts with many in the community to bring the amenities to the area.
Hunter said the new asphalt trail is a specially designed trail not found elsewhere.
"This type of linear pumpable trail does not exist anywhere else that I can think of," Hunter said. "Many cities have pump tracks that are contained loops -- but I don't know of any that have a directional pump trail like the one in Pineville," he said.
The first part of the trial is flat, until a biker or walker rounds the corner and heads downhill. "That's when it gets fun," Hunter said.
The trail features rollers that walkers can easily negotiate. But bikers can use them to propel themselves down the trail by pumping.
The trail also features a jumpline, a 100 yard-long series of rollers and kickers, which is constructed so that a rider can "get air" and ramp from one section to the other.
Intermediate to advanced riders will find that aspect a lot fun.
Beginning riders also can take on the jumpline, but probably won't be catching air, Hunter added.
The jumpline also has a walkable bypass for pedestrians.
After the jumpline section ends, riders can enjoy the trail with rollers with more space between them.
The construction project incurred a few challenges, as to be expected with any large endeavor.
"The soil on the site was great if you were a farmer -- but not so great for compacting to build a trail," Hunter said. "This meant we had to bring in quite a bit more sub-base than originally planned."
Crews addressed a few areas where water drained across the trail. One such area was built up, then finished off with a new 12-foot-long steel bridge with cedar decking.
The specialty crew that worked on the trail previously contracted work for former NFL quarterback David Carr.
With all the hard work complete, officials will open the new trail soon.
When that happens, Hunter believes the new amenities will continue to draw people to the area.
"If McDonald County continues to invest in quality recreational experiences and infrastructure, more people will start to look north from Bentonville and south from Joplin to visit and even relocate," he said.
General News on 09/14/2017