Trails connect people, recreation and commerce, and the multi-million dollar Iowa River’s Edge Trail, which winds through Marshall and Hardin counties, is in the process of being paved and renovated. The Hardin County portion has been awarded a $2 million TAP grant for paving south of Eldora and for the South Fork Bridge Project.
“The timeframe on that is starting in 2025,” said Mona Bleeker, who serves as president of the Hardin County River’s Edge Trail board. “We’re bridge ready to Gifford, except for the South Fork Bridge, which is our big expense. But our other bridges are ready to go. There are 28 bridges along the entire 34-mile corridor, and most of those are in Hardin County.”
A Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program (TAP) fund, administered by the Iowa DOT, pays for initiatives such as pedestrian and bicycle facilities, recreational trails, safe routes to school projects, historic preservation, vegetation management and more.