Rocky road to repairing water-ravaged rec trails

Thu August 07 2008
Posted Aug 7, 2008
4,892

By WILLIAM PETROSKI bpetroski@dmreg.com Floods have damaged dozens of popular Iowa recreational trails this year, requiring at least $10 million in repairs, state officials said. The widespread destruction is a setback after years of slow but steady growth to develop a statewide network of more than 1,000 miles of multiuse recreational trails, said Lisa Hein, an official with the nonprofit Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. The trails have been touted as a key to improving Iowa's quality of life and attracting young adults in the state who enjoy outdoor recreation. City leaders often support them as tools to attract development and skilled workers. A growing number of Iowans use the trails, along with city streets, as an alternative for commuting to work and school because of high gasoline prices. In some cases, it could be months or until next year before sections of trails can be reopened to hikers, bikers and other recreational enthusiasts, officials said. Water submerged some trails for weeks before floodwaters receded, leaving major washouts along trail paths and destruction to bridges. "It's really kind of frustrating. ... This is going to take some time" to fix the damage, Hein said. Examples include: • In the Des Moines area, sections of several trails remain closed, including stretches of the Trestle to Trestle Trail and the Neal Smith Trail, the John Pat Dorrian Trail and the Great Western Trail. • At least 15 trails in Polk County have had flood damage, state officials said. • In Dubuque County, the 26-mile Heritage Trail has had extensive damage, with washouts as much as 10 feet deep, and four bridges were lost, state officials said. In the Waterloo area, the Cedar Valley Nature Trail has had major damage that could exceed $5 million on a 26-mile stretch from Evansdale to near Brandon in Buchanan County. • The Wabash Trace Nature Trail in southwest Iowa is passable, but people may need to walk their bicycles in some places because of damage, officials said. Damage was also reported on many other Iowa trails, including the Rolling Prairie Trail in Butler County and the Chichaqua Valley Trail in Jasper County. In addition, trails have been damaged in 26 state park facilities, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. "The location of our trails is along scenic streams, creeks and rivers. It's beautiful, but flooding is to be expected," said Marlene Anderson of the Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department. Mark Wyatt, a bicycle enthusiast from North Liberty, said bikers are being patient and understanding about the problem. He added that as levees and other structures are rebuilt in the wake of flooding, opportunities should be considered to construct additional trails for alternative transportation. "During the floods in Iowa City, the bicycle became one of the main ways to get around town because traffic was backed up so much," said Wyatt, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group. Federal disaster money should help pay some of the cost for repairs, but it won't cover 100 percent of the bills, said Stuart Anderson, director of the Iowa Department of Transportation's Office of Systems Planning. State officials are talking with local government leaders, trying to determine whether they can assume the additional cost or if they will need state financial assistance, he added. In the Des Moines area, the Trestle to Trestle Trail, which links existing trails in Johnston to the Neal Smith Trail, remains closed indefinitely for about a half-mile section north of Douglas and Euclid avenues. Several feet of clay was added atop the trail, which is constructed on a levee, to protect the adjacent neighborhood from flooding, said Des Moines Public Works Director Bill Stowe. He said he won't allow the trail to be placed atop the levee again because there isn't sufficient width to allow it there. Stowe said that section of the Trestle to Trestle Trail must be rebuilt on a new alignment, which probably won't be completed until sometime next spring. Pat Boddy, director of the Polk County Conservation Board, said bicyclists have been ignoring a barricade on Park Avenue in Des Moines intended to keep them off a section of the Great Western Trail until repairs are completed. She said rangers have been asked to step up their patrols.