<strong>From staff reports</strong>

The Spanish Moss Trail has reopened from Riverside to Rogers drives following the completion of major stormwater infrastructure construction along portions of it.

Two segments of the trail closed in August 2020 to accommodate stormwater drainage improvements in the Mossy Oaks neighborhood. One segment reopened in February.

A few punch-list items need to be completed in this segment in Basin 2, said Neal Pugliese, chairman of the task force overseeing the Mossy Oaks Stormwater Drainage Project. Those may necessitate short detours along the trail at times, he said. The trail still needs to be striped, for example.

“But major work is completed, so cyclists, joggers and pedestrians should be able to enjoy the trail. We’re thrilled with that,” Pugliese said.

The $8.4 million stormwater project, which is almost complete, began in earnest in July 2020, with an accelerated timeline to install major drainpipes at the correct elevation in Basin 1 (near the Duck Pond) and Basin 2 (near Southside Park), and to install tidal flap gates in Battery Creek along the Spanish Moss Trail. Flooding has plagued the Mossy Oaks neighborhood over the years – often during heavy rains or king tides or storm surges. The new infrastructure has significantly ramped up drainage capacity.

<em>Above: New tidal gates along the Spanish Moss Trail. Photo courtesy of the City of Beaufort.</em>