Kewash Trail expansion paving won’t start until spring 2021

WASHINGTON - The next phase of the Kewash trail expansion is not expected to start until March 2021, said Conservation Education Center Executive Director Zach Rozmus during the Thursday night Conservation board meeting.

Rozmus said people voiced questions about the timeline because the engineering firm, MSA Engineering Consultants, had staked the trail.

'When people see stakes they think that construction is starting as of now,” Rozmus said.

Bid letting for the Iowa Department of Transportation is set for March 2021. Because of a DOT grant Washington County received for the project, the DOT must let the project, Rozmus said.

'April in Iowa can be hard for construction, he said. 'So As a right now, you're probably looking at a May or June start date.”

Rozmus said that is contingent on weather and the pandemic.

Phase 2 will extend to the Crooked Creek pedestrian bridge.

Rozmus said because the project is long, and there is only one main entrance on the east side, Rozmus said, he and board member Stan Stoops plan to talk with farmers with land around the project to put easements in place.

'The more access you can have to a construction site the better,” Rozmus said. 'You can't have all those trucks going down the same drive the entire time.”

Locally, Rozmus said there is concern about tree loss.

Rozmus believes the area around the bridge is one of the most scenic parts of the trail.

'My goal is we're going to protect as many trees as possible,” Rozmus said.

Working with the engineers, Rozmus said there should be minimal, if any, tree loss.

Though the construction portion of the project will be an inconvenience in the short term, Rozmus said it will be an asset to the community for the foreseeable future.

'That bridge is a scenic location that everybody should be able to enjoy, Rozmus said.