PANORA, Iowa, July 9, 2010 — Raccoon River Valley Trail users during the weekend of July 10 and 11 encountered two closures due to construction, but there are no closures from high water or flooding.

Joe Hanner, the Guthrie County Conservation director and trail manager there, said Thursday that the five miles of trail between Panora and Yale will remain closed through the long weekend.  That’s the part of the trail where a new concrete surface is being completed to replace what had been badly deteriorated asphalt. 

“We had heavy rains last weekend and early this week, and that made it impossible for the contractor to get in to complete the work on the shoulders,” Hanner said Thursday.  “All the concrete has been poured now, but it’s still not safe for the public to use the trail yet.  The shoulders aren’t done, there’s some debris on the trail and we need to go through and clean it up.  Before we can open it, we’ll also have to check all the new concrete, and repair any of it that’s not quite right.  I’d guess we have a good week’s worth of work in dry weather to get it all done.”

The other closure is just east of the RRVT, on the Clive Greenbelt Trail.  That trail is closed where it goes under the bridges on Interstate Highways 80 & 35.  Those bridges have been reconstructed, and Iowa Department of Transportation officials are not quite ready for trail traffic to resume.  A few damaged spots on the trail must be repaired, and that is scheduled to happen this next week.

“The contractor is scheduled to begin the trail repairs on Monday, July 12,  weather permitting,” said Kelly Canfield, the City of Clive parks & recreation director, and thus manager of the Greenbelt Trail.   “I would anticipate the trail will be open no later than July 16.  We have our Mayor’s Bike Ride scheduled for the afternoon of the 17^th and I know it will be open at that time.”