A 25-mile long bicycle and pedestrian trail through four central Iowa counties will open next Spring. The project has been 8 years in the making and will feature a half-mile long, 13-story high bridge that spans the Des Moines River. Liz Neumann, chair of the High Trestle Trail celebration committee, says the attraction should bring a lot of visitors to communities along the trail.
“The fact that the trail goes over the highest pedestrian/bike bridge in the country…will be such a unique feature that it will draw people to the area,” Neumann said. A grand opening for the so-called High Trestle Trail is now set for April 30, 2011.
The trail runs through the towns of Ankeny, Sheldahl, Slater, Madrid and Woodward. Neumann says the artwork on the bridge’s entrances will pay tribute to the area’s coal mining history. “There’s sort of a twisting of metal…to give the appearance of going into a coal mine,” Neumann explained. The $14.7 million project is being paid for through a variety of public and private sources.