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Parts of Linn Creek Trail closing for construction

contributed photo A portion of Linn Creek Trail will be closed for construction beginning Thursday. The Mega-10 Park east to May Street and the Main Street northeast to Marion Street/Nicholson-Ford Park will be the areas affected.

A portion of the Linn Creek Trail will be closed later this week for construction.

About 1.75 miles of the trail will be closed beginning Thursday. The sections closing will be:

• Mega-10 Park east to May Street

• Main Street northeast to Marion Street/Nicholson-Ford Park

Con-Struct will be tearing up the existing asphalt in these sections and replacing it with concrete. The cost of the project will be about $500,000.

Parks and Recreation Director Geoff Hubbard said leftover council-designated Local Option Sales Tax money made it possible to tackle more of the trail than expected this year. Originally, only about 1 mile of the trail was going to be addressed.

“It was scheduled in the budget this year but with the extra money we could do almost twice as much,” Hubbard said. “This is a section we didn’t crack-seal and coat from Grimes Farm all the way out to Riverview.”

The trails won’t be cleared during the winter months so heavy machinery will not be used on the concrete, which will help keep it from cracking.

Concrete is being used to replace the asphalt because of its durability and competitive costs with asphalt. The lifespan of the new concrete trail could be as long as 20 years.

The trail construction is expected to be complete by the end of November.

Hubbard said the sections of trail undergoing construction are heavily trafficked.

“From Riverview to Grimes Farm we’re talking hundreds of people a day,” he said. “Every time I drive out to Riverview or past the Softball Complex there are always cars parked out there for people walking the trail or riding their bikes.”

It is important for those who walk or ride these parts of the trail to stay off of them while construction is ongoing. The trail will not be safe to use even when Con-Struct isn’t on site.

“We are excited to have this project starting and can’t wait for it to be finished. This will give the Linn Creek Trail a smooth ride from Riverview to Grimes Farm once completed,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard said the next big trail project to look forward to will be building out toward Albion. He said he is working with Trails Inc. on finding funding for the project. Since it ventures outside of Marshalltown city limits it would not be supported by city funding.

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