Cedar River Trail to get fix at 42nd Street NE

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Cedar River Trail is slated for a fix to make it less precarious at 42nd Street NE next to Interstate 380.

The City Council on Tuesday approved the project, which will realign the trail at 42nd Street NE, improve the northbound off-ramp from Interstate 380 and add bicycle lanes on 42nd Street NE. At the same time, the Canadian National Railroad will install gates at its rail crossing there.

Council members Ann Poe and Kris Gulick said the piece of the trail needed safety improvements.

Doug Wilson, the city's capital improvement project manager, said the project will close the trail and reroute it for a half-mile stretch during construction, which is expected to start this summer and be completed by fall.

The project is expected to cost $740,000, with $690,000 of the cost coming from federal funds, Wilson said.

He said the Iowa Department of Transportation will open bids on the project on Feb. 17. The project initially was bid in different form in June 2014, but no contractor bid on the project, he said.