What started as an idea in 2011 to promote outdoor recreation in Hardin and Marshall counties has accelerated in recent months with bricks, concrete, rock and steel bridges put in place.

“We are beginning to see a lot of planning over the years come to fruition,” said Marshalltown mayor Mike Ladehoff in a telephone interview Thursday. “The bridge installed over Linn Creek (adjoining the Skate Board Park on South Sixth Street) and another over a small creek near Radio Tower Road west of Marshalltown is significant. Work is in progress on bridge replacement on the trail leading to Albion too. Brick by brick, the Iowa River’s Edge Trail is making progress with more to come.”

The bridges Ladehoff referenced are part of the 34-mile Iowa River’s Edge Trail (IRET), which will travel through Hardin and Marshall counties — specifically from Steamboat Rock to Marshalltown.

When completed, the trail will pass through Albion, Liscomb, Union and Gifford.

The trail’s purpose is to facilitate recreation by Iowans, which will include wildlife viewing, walking, running, bicycling, geocaching, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, according to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF). That organization, headquartered in Des Moines, has endorsed the project.

Additionally, Andrea Boulton, the trails and community conservation director of the organization, has provided extensive assistance over the years to advance trail construction and bridge replacement with grant writing and organizational assistance to the two volunteer-driven trail committees in both counties.

The trail is being constructed on a vacant railroad line which was purchased by INHF in 2013.

It has been and will continue to be paved with concrete and wide enough for users and emergency-response vehicles, according to Jeff Schneider, president of TRAILS, Inc. of Marshall County.

Approximately 24 miles of the 34-mile trail still need to be paved, according to the INHF website.

The city of Marshalltown has been an active partner in the project since it was first proposed in 2011. Former Marshalltown resident Dr. Terry Briggs and members of the Iowa Valley Bicycle Club were instrumental in early public awareness, private fund-raising and grant writing to help launch the project.

Progress in Hardin and Marshall counties

In Hardin County, the trail is paved from Steamboat Rock to Eldora.

“We have approximately six more miles to finish,” said Deb Crosser, Hardin County Trails Committee (HCTC) board member and Hardin County Economic Development director.

The HCTC was previously awarded a $2 million grant to pave the trail from Eldora to Gifford and to complete a major bridge project.

“We are finally starting to see some movement with the trail project,” HCTC president Mona Bleeker told the Hardin County Board of Supervisors in February, as reported by the Iowa Falls Times-Citizen.

Boulton confirmed in a telephone interview Thursday that Hardin County has funding in place to repair or replace all of the bridges to Union as well as to pave the trail to the town.

“HCTC recently paid to have a bridge demolished over the South Fork of the Iowa River,” north of Gifford,” Boulton said. “The bridge work also freed up debris which had collected around the old bridge. Additional work will be done this fall.”

In Marshall County, concrete was previously poured near the 200 block of East Madison Street in Marshalltown to the intersection of Radio Tower Road and Summit Street.

A major development earlier this year was the installation of a new bridge over a small creek. It was installed by Boulder Construction of Grundy Center and replaced a dilapidated wooden bridge deemed unsafe for use.

The company was awarded the bid to replace that and other bridges on the trail leading to Albion and some in Hardin County.

Regardless, Boulton told the T-R in a telephone interview that both committees are focused on completing ongoing projects. All Marshalltown/Marshall County work has been made possible by the volunteer-driven TRAILS, Inc. of Marshall County.

Funds were secured through grant awards, extensive private fundraising and notably the Ann C. Keyser Trust.

Who will benefit?

More than 223,000 people live within a half-hour drive of the IRET, according to the INHF website.

Jeff Schneider of Marshalltown — president of TRAILS, Inc. of Marshall County — emphasized that small businesses such as bed and breakfasts, convenience stores. restaurants and taverns along the route will benefit significantly. He previously cited examples of the impact generated by trails statewide.

“My wife and I have firsthand experience observing the economic valuer recreational trails have provided in other communities and are fully supportive of having a first-class trail ‘closer to home’ so our local communities derive the same benefits,” said Christopher Duree, former chancellor of Iowa Valley Community College District in TRAILS, Inc. promotional material.

For those looking for long-distance trails, the IRET will link to a variety of local, county, regional and state trails, including: the Iowa River State Water Trail, Gunderson Trail in Eldora, Bates Trail in Union, Iowa River Scenic Drive, Linn Creek Greenbelt, the Iowa River Greenbelt, the Iowa 330 Trail and the Pine Lake State Park Trail. The Grimes Farm Nature Center will also be accessible from the trail.

Hardin County Milestones

• 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.

• November 2024 –Awarded $745,000 through the Iowa DOT State Recreational Trails Program.

• 2025 — Bridge replacement and paving from Eldora to Gifford scheduled.

Endorsements

“I wholeheartedly support the proposed trail through Marshall and Hardin counties,” said avid bicyclist and former state representative Mark Smith — a longtime Marshalltown resident who is now the mayor of West Branch. “The trails we have here in Iowa are beautiful, benefit the environment, improve quality of life by encouraging health activities and benefit local communities.”

For more information about INHF — or to donate — contact Boulton at 515-288-1846, ext. 27 or aboulton@inhf.org. For more information about Hardin County’s efforts — or to donate — contact 641-648-2124 or hardincountytrails@gmail.com.

For more information about Marshall County efforts or to donate or make a pledge, contact or INFO@TRAILSINC.ORG, or mail to TRAILSINC.ORG, P.O. Box 1386, Marshalltown, 50158.