RRVT News
Construction update for the weekend of July 16-18: Hurrah! The Clive Greenbelt Trail is now reopened where it passes under the Interstate highway bridges on the west side of the Des Moines metro area. But the Raccoon River Valley Trail reconstruction project between Panora and Yale is not yet completed, so that five miles of our trail remains closed. Regardless, this week should be the busiest week of the year on the RRVT.
CLIVE, Iowa, July 16, 2010 – Good news! The Clive Greenbelt Trail is now reopened under the Interstate highway bridges, as of this morning, July 16, the city’s parks & recreation director Kelly Canfield has announced.
However, the other major trail closure in west central Iowa, on the Raccoon River Valley Trail between Panora and Yale, remains in effect for at least another week, maybe longer, according to Joe Hanner, the Guthrie County Conservation director. That reconstruction project is not yet completed.
The Clive Greenbelt Trail had been closed for months under the Interstate highways while Iowa Department of Transportation contractors were reconstructing the highway bridges.
The current stage of the bridge work is completed, so some repairs were made this week on damages to the Greenbelt Trail, trees were trimmed on Thursday and Canfield said he was looking forward to having the trail open again. It comes just in time to accommodate the Clive Mayor’s Ride using that portion of the trail this Saturday, July 17. It’s also in time to accommodate the heavy bicycle traffic expected to be heading west next week, as many cyclists take final training rides before RAGBRAI, and then many also ride out to the RAGBRAI starting point in Sioux City.
That spot, under the interstate bridges, is one of the busiest points on a recreational trail anywhere in Iowa. Cyclists from all over the Des Moines area ride through there on their way west to the Raccoon River Valley Trail.
The RRVT reconstruction project between Panora and Yale — a new concrete surface is being completed on what had been the last remaining bit of the original 21-year-old asphalt trail — has been slowed because of the frequent rains this summer.
“All cement has been poured,” said Hanner, the Guthrie conservation director and manager of the trail there. “They are working on shoulders and miscellaneous clean-up. I would guess they would need five to eight dry days to finish the project. At some point toward the end of the construction, the project will be inspected. The contractor will have to address any issues that come out of the inspection. With all of that, it could be a few weeks befor the trail is open. It is just hard to say. I wish I had more specific information, but that is the best I can do. Weather is the main factor.”
While the trail is closed between Panora and Yale, many cyclists have detoured on Iowa Highway 4 between the towns without problems.
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