Park board walks Little Sioux trail project

Members of the Spencer Park Board gathered on Tuesday evening to walk through the area that will be transformed into the Little Sioux River Trail. The trail, which will extend from Thunder Bridge to the existing trail in West Leach Park, will hopefully be completed sometime next year. [Order this photo]

The project, which will start near Thunder Bridge and extend 6,500 feet across the Ocheyedan River, will cover terrain from woodland to prairie. The board members came prepared for the trek, wearing comfortable clothing and close-toed shoes.

"What we were wanting to do was take a look at the alignment of where the trail would go," Park Director Del Bredehoeft said.

The project is being engineered by Kruse, Cate and Nelson, and will use subcontractors for the trail and the bridge. Keuhl and Payer will be doing the bridgework, and the board hopes to open bids for the trail between late fall and early winter.

Given that timeframe, and dependent on the river levels, Bredehoeft hopes to have construction started late next spring, with a completed project this time next year.

The trail will reflect what is at Thunder Bridge right now. It will consist of a 10-foot concrete trail and a bridge crossing the Ocheyedan River.

The project, which will total approximately $600,000, will be funded primarily by grants from the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century.

"It's a whole process from the Department of Transportation," Bredehoeft said. "Our next step, after this alignment, is the archeological study."