Piece of paved CEMAR Trail in Cedar Rapids to become real this fall

CEDAR RAPIDS – City Hall has been talking for most of the decade about building a paved CEMAR Trail that runs from the Cedar River Trail in Cedar Rapids into the city of Marion.

This fall, if all goes as planned, the city of Cedar Rapids will construct Phase 2 of the Cedar Rapids part of the project on city-owned land between 20th Street NE and 29th Street NE at a cost of about $300,000.

This part of the trail construction will take 35 days to construct, Mike Dufoe, an engineer in the city's Public Works Department, reports.

Dufoe on Tuesday said Phase 1 of the project, which covers tougher terrain and requires the city to purchase property, is expected to be constructed in the spring or summer of 2011 at an estimated cost of $1.4 million.

Phase 3 is the toughest part of the trail to build in Cedar Rapids because it will need to go over or under First Avenue East and on to Marion, Dufoe said. In all, the trail covers 2.8 miles in Cedar Rapids.

He said the city of Marion is planning for a first phase of the trail in Marion and acquiring land for a second phase.

The city of Cedar Rapids has received special federal funds for the project.

The Linn County Trails Association and local neighborhood groups have been urging the city to get started on the trail, Dufoe said.

"It sounds like it could be quite popular," he added.