Section of Boyson Trail closed for derecho waterway cleanup

MARION — A portion of the Boyson Trail is closed for the next three weeks due to derecho cleanup.

The trail is currently closed from the trailhead at Boyson Road through Donnelly Park, according to a city of Marion news release.

Residents are reminded to observe and obey posted signage at the entrances of parks and trails.

The closure from Boyson Road through Donnelly Park is part of the city’s $15 million waterway cleanup project.

The project, which includes Indian, Dry and Wanatee creeks, is being completed by Southern Disaster Recovery of South Carolina. The crews are working throughout the three waterways to remove branches and storm debris.

The contractor has been working since winter to clear the waterways, in part to prevent worse flooding than usual.

Previously, City Public Service Director Ryan Miller told The Gazette the goal is to have the entirety of the waterway cleanup done in June.

The new closure extends the section of the trail that is already closed from Thomas Park to Donnelly Park for bridge construction as part of the CeMar Trail project.

The CeMar Trail project, which got underway last year, will be closer to completion by the end of the year.

The section of railroad bridge that crosses the Boyson Trail between Thomas and Donnelly parks and over Indian Creek is in the process of becoming part of a new pedestrian bridge.

The Marion portion of the project has five phases and will renovate and pave existing trails as well as add new ones, connecting Uptown Marion to downtown Cedar Rapids.

Once completed, the trail will be 7 miles long with about 4 of those miles in Marion. The entire project is expected to be complete in 2022 or 2023.

The Marion portion of the CeMar Trail project is expected to cost $6.7 million, with 80 percent coming from federal funding.

For walkers, joggers and bicyclists who miss the Boyson Trail access, the city recommends the 1.7-mile paved Grant Wood Trail that begins at the east-end roundabout near the Marion Starbucks and stretches east to Waldo’s Rock Park and continues into Linn County for an additional 2.8 miles on crushed limestone.

There is also the Lowe Park trail, a 1.25-mile paved trail that connects 10th Street to the Oak Ridge Middle School parking lot, the release said.

Residents with questions are encouraged to contact the Marion Parks and Recreation Department at (319) 447-3580 or (319) 447-3590.

Comments: (319) 398-8255; gage.miskimen@thegazette.com