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  • Tue October 14 2014
  • Posted Oct 14, 2014

The Iowa Transportation Commission approved $5,514,307 for projects on Tuesday October 14th 2014.


In total there were 56 recreational trail applications and 1 existing historical trail bridge application received. The trail applications requested amount was $26,855,739 and the bridge amount was $500,000. The total trails project cost was $54,089,929 and bridge total cost was $3,740,000.


Even though only 10% of the total project costs were funded, this is a HUGE step forward for the Iowa Trails System! We are looking forward to tracking the progress on each of these projects over the next couple of years.


Here are the 12 projects approved for funding

  1. $782,500 - Ankeny Connector - High Trestle Trail (Polk County Conservation Board)

  2. $160,906 - Cedar Valley Nature Trail Bridge E4 Replacement (Black Hawk County Conservation Board)

  3. $224,437 - Coon Rapids Connector Trail Underpass (Coon Rapids)

  4. $340,000 - Great River Road Bike Lane (Louisa County Secondary Roads)

  5. $454,000 - Hoover Trail - "The Missing Link" (Johnson County Conservation Board)

  6. $296,250 - Iowa DNR AmeriCorps Trail Crew (Iowa Department of Natural Resources)

  7. $775,000 - Iowa River Trail Phase 1 Development (Marshalltown and Hardin County)

  8. $647,140 - Lake Path Trail/JewEllsworth Trail Segment (Hamilton County Conservation Board)

  9. $579,074 - Mississippi River Trail - Pikes Peak Road to Guttenberg (Clayton County)

  10. $700,000 - Pottawattamie County Trail-Phase I (Pottawattamie County Conservation Board and Pottawattamie County Trail Board)

  11. $ 55,000 - Red Cedar Trail and Connector (Linn County Conservation Board and Linn Area Mountain Bike Association)

  12. $500,000 - SW 5th (Jackson) Street Bridge Rehabilitation (Des Moines)

Read about the 45 Trails Projects that did not get funded



Project Details


1. Project Name: Ankeny Connector - High Trestle Trail
Sponsor: Polk County Conservation Board
Contact: Loren Lown
11407 NW Jester Park Drive
Granger, IA 50109-9675
Description: This project will extend the 25 mile long High Trestle Trail another
six miles from the center of Ankeny to the north side of Des Moines.
This important link in the Central Iowa Trail Network will link the north of
the Des Moines Metro to the High Trestle Trail, Ankeny's new AMP
project and many other trails. The trail will provide an alternative
recreation and transportation resource for an underserved area of the
metro.
Total Cost: $5,120,000
Requested Amount : $ 782,500 (15%)


2. Project Name: Cedar Valley Nature Trail Bridge E4 Replacement
Sponsor: Black Hawk County Conservation Board
Contact: Vern Fish, Executive Director
1346 W. Airline Hwy
Waterloo, IA 50703
Description: This application provides for demolition and replacement of the
existing Cedar Valley Nature Trail Bridge E4. The new bridge will be
constructed utilizing a 10' wide, 110' long prefabricated structure.
Total Cost: $214,542
Requested Amount : $160,906 (75%)

3. Project Name: Coon Rapids Connector Trail Underpass
Sponsor: City of Coon Rapids
Contact: Jessica Leighty, City Clerk
123 3rd Street
Coon Rapids, IA 50058
Description: The proposed project would construct a trail underpass under
Iowa Highway 141. This underpass would connect the City of Coon
Rapids Trail System, the Riverside Park Trail and the Whiterock
Conservancy Trail networks.
Total Cost: $299,250
Requested Amount : $224,437 (75%)


4. Project Name: Great River Road Bike Lane
Sponsor: Louisa County Secondary Roads
Contact: Larry Roehl, County Engineer
8313 K Avenue
Wapello, IA 52653
Description: The project will be to provide matching funding for paving a
shoulder along Louisa County Road X61 (Great River Road) for a 13
mile length. Louisa County X61 is a shared use route for bicycles and
vehicles. The project will provide a separated line to increase safety for
bicycles vehicular traffic. The project will be performed on the existing
road shoulders within the road Right of Way.
Total Cost: $1,690,000
Requested Amount : $ 340,000 (20%)

5. Project Name: Hoover Trail - "The Missing Link"
Sponsor: Johnson County Conservation Board
Contact: Larry Gullett, Executive Director
2048 Highway 6 NW
Oxford, IA 52322
Description: Connecting this 5.8 mile "missing link" of the Hoover Trail from Ely
to Solon will connect more than 200 miles of trails in eastern Iowa,
including four of Iowa's largest communities and 10 urban trail systems
in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls and Waterloo. The counties
directly touched by completing the hard-surfaced trail include: Johnson,
Linn, Buchanan, Benton and Black Hawk, which have a combined
population of 534,487, according to 2013 census bureau estimates.
This proposal includes for the design, engineering and environmental
and cultural assessments.
Total Cost: $606,000
Requested Amount : $454,000 (75%)

6. Project Name: Iowa DNR AmeriCorps Trail Crew
Sponsor: Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Contact: Whitney S. Davis
502 E. 9th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319-8959
Description: Rehabilitation and development of trails in Iowa's state parks,
upward of 100 miles.
Total Cost: $395,000
Requested Amount : $296,250 (75%)


7. Project Name: Iowa River Trail Phase 1 Development
Sponsor: City of Marshalltown
Contact: Terry Gray, Parks and Recreation Director
24 N. Center Street
Marshalltown, IA 50158
Co-Sponsor: Hardin County
Contact: Nancy Lauver , Board Secretary
1215 Edgington Avenue
Eldora, IA 50627
Description: Construct 9,915 LF (1.88 miles) of 8-10' wide hard surfaced trail in
Marshalltown and Hardin County, construct 357 LF of wood decking
and railings on the Steamboat Rock Iowa River Bridge and two smaller
structures in Marshalltown and Hardin County.
Total Cost: $1,335,000
Requested Amount : $ 775,000 (58%)


8. Project Name: Lake Path Trail / JewEllsworth Trail Segment
Sponsor: Hamilton County Conservation Board
Contact: Brian Lammers, Executive Director
2490 Briggs Woods Trail
Webster City, IA 50595
Description: The proposed project is to construct a 2.3 mile hard surfaced
multi-purpose recreational trail between the communities of Jewell and
Ellsworth that would include the National Natural Landmark of Goose
Lake. This will be the first step in a multi-phase project connecting the
two communities together. The second immediate phase is to connect
the trail to Little Wall Lake, another natural glacial lake just 1.5 miles to
the south.
Total Cost: $862,853
Requested Amount : $647,140 (75%)

9. Project Name: Mississippi River Trail - Pikes Peak Road to Guttenberg
Sponsor: Clayton County
Contact: Rafe Koopman, Clayton County Office Building
600 Gunder Road NE, Suite 14
Elkader, IA 52043
Description: This project will place a 6-foot wide, 3-inch thick HMA overlay on
26.4 miles of the MRT, 13.2 miles of trail on each side of the Great
River Road/County Road X56 in Clayton County, from Pikes Peak Road
to Guttenberg. This is a popular MRT segment for tourists, especially
those traveling between Pikes Peak State Park, private campgrounds,
trout streams or state and federal natural areas and Guttenberg. Both
roadway and the MRT have aged and deteriorated, so the overlay of the
trail will be completed at the same time as the overlay of the roadway.
Total Cost: $1,369,575
Requested Amount : $1,027,181 (75%)


10. Project Name: Pottawattamie County Trail-Phase I
Sponsor: Pottawattamie County Conservation Board
Contact: Mark Shoemaker
223 South 6th street
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
Co Sponsor: Pottawattamie County Trail Board
Contact: Brian Shea , President
223 South 6th Street
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
Description: Pottawattamie County proposes to design, engineer and construct
approximately 15 miles of multi-use trail from Council Bluffs to Neola.
The request is for Phase I of a multi-phase project which will develop a
trail throughout Pottawattamie County connecting all communities as
well as linking to trails within the region.
Total Cost: $1,930,000
Requested Amount : $ 700,000 (36%)

11. Project Name: Red Cedar Trail and Connector
Sponsor: Linn County Conservation Board
Contact: Randy Burke, Planner
10260 Morris Hills Road
Toddville, IA 52341
Co Sponsor: Linn Area Mountain Bike Association
Contact: Michelle Barker , President
PO Box 2768
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406
Description: The Red Cedar Trail will create an all-new trail experience at
Squaw Creek County Park - a family friendly singletrack loop tied
directly to existing park infrastructure. The targets of this loop are new
trail users, lacking the confidence, fitness, or skill, to consider
wandering completely out of sight of familiar surroundings, such as
youth on strider bikes or the older fitness walkers resorting to walking
along the park roads. The concept alignment, mirroring the Ski Lodge
Road loop, balances forest and meadow sections. When crossing
meadows, the concept stays high on the hill to provide views over the
newly restored prairie wetland. Forest segments "play" with the
landscape's contour. Suggestions to configure the loop to cross the
road are not made lightly, but such an alignment has the potential to
create a more sustainable trail while respecting the northern slopes
hosting winter sports activities. The Red Cedar Loop and Connector will
be approximately 8,500 feet in length.
Total Cost: $75,000
Requested Amount : $55,000 (73%)

12. Project Name: SW 5th (Jackson) Street Bridge Rehabilitation
Sponsor: City of Des Moines Park and Recreation
Contact: Mindy S. Moore, Park Planner II
3226 University Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50311
Description: The existing bridge is a 392 foot long by 25 feet wide, three-span
steel through high-truss, originally built in 1898 for urban wagon traffic.
It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to its
architectural significance as well as its association with bridge
construction practices in the late 1800s. The bridge was converted to
pedestrian use in 1998. A subsequent inspection identified significant
deterioration and an inability to calculate the load capacity, which
caused the bridge to be closed to all use in March 2013.
Total Cost: $3,740,000
Requested Amount : $ 500,000 (13%)


About theState Recreational Trails program

The State Recreational Trails program was created in 1988 with the purpose of developing and maintaining recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both motorized and non-motorized trail users.


This funding is available to cities, counties, state agencies, local governments, and nonprofit organizations through an annual application-based program.


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But the description seems to say the funding is for a link between Ely and Solon, not to Iowa City.

#3 - lostjr posted Oct 21, 2014


Iowa City and Solon are not connected...yet. As stated, this is a project that was recently approved.

#2 - MacBikePro posted Oct 19, 2014


I do not see how Iowa City is connected to Solon, as claimed.

#1 - lostjr posted Oct 15, 2014


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