Three miles of the trail along Sioux City’s riverfront will remain closed until the fall of this year.
The closure between the South Dakota border and Chris Larsen Park is due to damage done during last summer’s flooding.
Crews have made emergency repairs to stabilize the slopes and Iowa DOT is working on a design for permanent repairs.
DOT District Engineer Jessica Felix said she understands people are upset but insists the closure is for the safety of everyone involved.
“We understand our bike-ped folk are a little upset. But it’s for the safety of them and the interstate. And ensuring that things along that slope are not moving anymore.” Felix continues, “It’s a tough and close sight from the river to the interstate. So, we need that trail, actually, to perform the work and we can’t have that intermix with construction once we get to that point.”