New Charles City trail bridge now officially open

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A large group of walkers, runners, bicyclists and others interested in trails gathered on the west side of the new Charley Western Recreational Trail Bridge Sunday afternoon to officially open the bridge and make a mass crossing.

The fact that a number of people arrived at the ceremony by actually crossing over from the east side showed that folks have been using the bridge already, and Mayor Dean Andrews joked that a lot of people have “cheated” in the last couple of weeks.

Giving a brief history of the new $1.75 million structure, ​​Andrews recalled how the previous trail bridge over the Cedar River — a former railroad bridge — had been closed in 2017 after cracks were found and how the entire span crumbled into the river in 2018 when it was being taken apart.

“I know some of you have cheated, you’ve been across this bridge already. We have video of you — beware of prosecution,” he kidded. “But anyway, today is the official opening of our new bridge, something that we’ve been looking forward to for three years.”

Andrews — who led the ceremony and cut the traditional red ribbon — said the city trail has gotten a lot more traffic just in the past couple of weeks with unofficial use of the bridge because the loop around town is again complete.

He also said the five lights on the bridge, which the city originally purchased with the thought that fundraising would reimburse the cost, have already been paid for through private donations.

The next phase, Andrews said, is to continue fundraising to cover the cost of extending lighting from the bridge to Clark Street.

“That’s a bigger project than just lighting the ones on the bridge, but that’s where we’re going from now on, to see if we can light that next part of the trail,” he said Sunday afternoon.

Jim Davis distributed a brochure to the people at the ceremony, talking about that next phase. It was signed by “Recreational Trail Committee.”

“As you see in your little handout that Jim was giving out today, there’s a place in there (for) your name and information if you’re interested in either helping with the fundraising for that, contributing to that, just helping on trail things of any sort,” Andrews said.

“Jim Davis, Paul Burnham, myself, Kurt Herbrechtsmeyer, Rich Robert, Dan Barrett, Bob Jakoubek were the original trail committee back in 1995 when we did the first section of trail down by the IC ball diamonds,” Andrews said.

Since then the trail has been completed around the community, but “we haven’t really been doing as much as the original trail committee for many years,” he said. “We just haven’t been as active as we used to be.”

But now, Andrews said, there is a new group, consisting of members of the Tuesday night biking group and other biking enthusiasts, who want to become involved with the trail again, especially in efforts to link up with other trails and other communities.

There was a great deal of enthusiasm from original trail committee members and members of the new group at a meeting a couple of weeks ago, to both work on maintaining and improving the current city trail and expanding it, he said.

“If you’re interested financially in helping. If you’re interested in coming out and help cutting weeds some day or doing a trash pickup day, just anything like that, give that sheet back to Jim, or if you don’t get a chance to do it today just drop it off at City Hall anytime, just ’cause we want to know anybody who’s interested in this endeavor,” Andrews said. “Because we know it’s a really important thing for Charles City.”

John Fallis, city engineer, told the Press that the five bridge lights have been wired and are working. The come on at dusk and go off at dawn controlled by a photocell.

Although intended for pedestrian and bicycle traffic as part of the trail, the bridge was designed to be strong enough and wide enough to support emergency vehicles if necessary, including ambulances and many of the fire trucks — but not the aerial ladder truck, Fallis said.

He said the specifications and cost of continuing the lighting from the bridge to Clark Street haven’t been figured yet, but they will probably be lights on 16-foot poles that go along just one side of the trail, with arms that extend the lights onto the trail.

There will also be two benches installed in each of the two “bump-outs” in the middle of the bridge. One bench in each bump-out will have its back to the trail, looking out over the river, and the other will be a bench so people can sit on it either way, Fallis said.

Andrews said the benches have also been privately donated.

“So when you’re walking across or riding your bike across and want to take a little break and enjoy the river, here’s a place you can stop and get off the trail so you don’t impede other people, and I think it’s a really nice addition to the bridge,” Andrews said.