The financing and construction of a 34-mile recreational trail from Steamboat Rock to Marshalltown has proven to be an ultra-marathon and not a sprint.

The initial concept was developed by recreational enthusiasts approximately 13 years ago.

“The trail is going to be constructed … it is just a matter of when,” said Bill Fitzgerald when the project was first announced.

He is a former Marshalltown resident and former Emerson Process Management employee — now retired — who was actively involved in initial promotion and fundraising along with others.

Organizers in Hardin and Marshall counties have not given up despite some setbacks on federal grant applications and other issues.

A portion of the paving, among other work, has been completed in Eldora and Marshalltown.

A major milestone was achieved in November of 2024, when the project was awarded $745,000 through the Iowa Department of Transportation’s State Recreational Trails Program. And significant progress was made locally in December with construction work started on Bridge Number 2 near the intersection of Radio Tower Road and Summit Street west of the Marshalltown city limits.

A dilapidated wooden bridge has been removed and cement poured by a crew from Boulder Construction Co. of Grundy Center. The company was awarded a bid to replace several bridges along the route, formerly an abandoned railroad line.

A steel bridge previously used at Marshalltown’s Timber Creek Park is on site and will be installed in the immediate future, according to Marshalltown Public Works Director Heather Thomas. She made the announcement in a recent interview with Kyle Martin of the Marshalltown radio station KFJB.

The construction company will then work through the winter months on bridges three, four and five barring unforeseen extreme weather.

“New abutments will be installed and we will be re-purposing an old bridge,” said Thomas.

Over the years. significant strides have been made with a 4.8-mile section paved between Steamboat Rock and Eldora. Spearheaded by the Hardin County Iowa River’s Edge Trail (IRET) Board, Trails, Inc. and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, the project is actively engaged in fundraising, planning, and pursuing grants to pave the remaining segments of this scenic trail.

Milestones in Hardin County

• 2017 — Awarded $25,000 from Hardin County Community Endowment Fund (HCCEF) towards the Steamboat Rock bridge rehabilitation project.

• 2019 — Awarded $15,000 from HCCEF towards the Steamboat Rock bridge rehabilitation project.

• 2022 — Steamboat Rock bridge completed.

• 2023 — Awarded $15,000 from HCCEF towards the Eldora trailhead.

• April 2024 — Awarded $2 million through Iowa TAP Grant Program for paving from Eldora to Gifford & South Fork Bridge reconstruction.

• April 2024 — Ribbon cutting for the completion of the Eldora trailhead.

• October 2024 — City of Eldora awarded REAP funding for expansion of the trail loop in Hardin County.

• 2025 — Bridge replacement & paving from Eldora to Gifford.

“This — the Marshall County bridge work — is technically an Iowa Dept of Transportation (IDOT) project, so we have regulations we have to follow that involve frequent reporting for construction and environmental,” said Jeff Schneider of Marshalltown.

Schneider is the president of TRAILS Inc., the Marshall County-based nonprofit group. He also serves as an at-large Marshalltown city councilor.

He and other committee members have been aggressively promoting and fundraising for several years.

“To save costs, city employees will do daily observation on construction and environmental impact for daily and weekly reports to the city, Calhoun Burns and IDOT,” said Schneider. “This is the next step in completing the trail to Albion, we’re working on our options for bridges 6-9 and paving to Albion. At this point we don’t expect to do any paving until all the bridges are done. We have received some significant grants in 2025, but I can’t commit on any dates as to when that construction could start or when the project will be finished, meaning from the Linn Creek District, Ann C. Keyser Trailhead and Emerson Bridge to Albion and beyond. I’m excited about how the trailhead and bridge are looking! I’m excited to see those two projects in use this Spring.”

The trail will be paved with concrete and will be wide enough for users and emergency response vehicles too. In addition, a number of bridges in both counties — ranging from small wooden to steel trestle — will have to be reinforced or rebuilt.

Heading north from Marshalltown, the trail will run through Albion, Liscomb, Union, Gifford, Eldora and Steamboat Rock.