Dallas County Conservation recently started construction on a trail that would connect the Raccoon River Valley Trail and the High Trestle Trail.
“People go from Ankeny to Woodward on the High Trestle Trail and have to stop and of course the Raccoon River Valley Trail, even though it has a loop, there’s a gap and lots of people would like to go on to Woodward,” Dallas County Conservation Board Director Mike Wallace said.
Wallace said the $5 million project would stretch nine miles to connect Perry and Woodward, but due to a lack of funding has to be completed in phases.
“The people that want to use the trail want it done yesterday and so do we, the people that are building the trail. But with state and federal budget cuts, some of our main funding sources are no longer as plentiful and it just takes longer,” Wallace said
Workers started clearing the path for the first mile and a half of the connector and officials said even though it will be a dead end it will build excitement for residents and prospective donors.