Washington County Trails projects may be completed this year with WCRF's help

Tue June 10 2008
Posted Jun 10, 2008
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By David Hotle and Mary Zelinski Five recreational trail projects in the county that received a total of $367,000 from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation (WCRF) are on the agenda for discussion by the trails committee and three of them may be completed this year. Lyle Moen, co-chair of the Washington County Trails Committee, said all the projects fit into the Trails Master Plan, completed last year by Shoemaker-Haaland Engineers of Iowa City. The first project, he said, is the structural analysis of English River Bridge. Steve Bradley, a structural engineer with Shive Hattery Consultants of Iowa City was hired to conduct inspection. He confirmed it was unable to be used for motor traffic. The recreational trail plan would use the bridge, located over the English River on Nutmeg Avenue just southeast of Kalona, for pedestrian crossing. The project will require strengthening several tension members, a new deck and handrails to meet all federal guidelines. "There are several different options to be able to use it as a pedestrian bridge," Moen said. "There's two tension members in the structure that need strengthening and then it is a matter of either utilizing the existing deck on the bridge or replacing that with a new deck. We are looking at probably $150,000 to put that bridge in shape as a pedestrian crossing if that is what the trails committee intends to do with that. That has yet to be discussed." He said the next trails committee meeting would probably be held in mid June, although he has not scheduled a time for it. He expects a decision to be made then. The cost of the study was $15,250, of which $12,000 was provided by the WCRF. Other funds came from Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Richmond, Shiloh Church and the Kalona Christian Fellowship. Signage along recreational trails will be done this summer, Moen said. The $6,500 project received $5,000 from the WCRF. Moen also said the committee would have some in-kind funds for the signs. He said a map of where the signs will be located has been prepared and the signs have been ordered from Iowa Prison Industries of Anamosa.