The Black Hawk County Conservation Board is once again looking to unite the Cedar Valley Nature Trail.
Conservation officials were forced to close the trail bridge over Wolf Creek on the northern edge of La Porte City in September after engineering reports found the structure was unsafe.
Faced with a large estimated price tag to replace or repair the bridge, the county is evaluating other options and has opened discussions with La Porte City leaders about potentially shifting the trail route to existing bridges in town.
"Right now the trail is effectively severed because of this," said Vern Fish, conservation director. "We're trying to find the cheapest alternative. In my mind, realignment may be the cheapest, but we won't know until we get the numbers back."
The 52-mile recreation trail running from Evansdale to Hiawatha, near Cedar Rapids, has 19 bridges in Black Hawk and Buchanan counties.
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