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Greenbelt paths have been closed for months. Where is Parks & Rec at with repairs?

By Dana Oland

December 11, 2017 08:00 PM

Boise River's receding floodwaters leave behind a mess

Riverside areas and bike paths are covered with mud, rocks, sticks and slime.
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Riverside areas and bike paths are covered with mud, rocks, sticks and slime.
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Boise Parks and Recreation reopened a stretch of Greenbelt under the West ParkCenter Bridge along the Boise River on Dec. 7. Repair crews found a workable detour that will keep the path open until the work to restore the riverbank can be done.

That’s slated for late fall of 2018, says Parks and Rec director Doug Holloway.

“We will have to wait for when the river (level) goes back down,” he says.

This spot is just part of the damage to the popular bicycle and foot path caused by 2017’s record snowfall and flooding. Large sections of the Greenbelt were closed for months — and some still are — because many areas close to the river were flooded and collapsed.

In July, the Boise City Council approved five contractors to bid on Greenbelt projects as they arise to streamline the approval process for repairs that could run between several hundred thousand and few million dollars, Holloway told the Statesman in July.

And since then things have gone smoothly, he says.

Bethine Trail
Repair on the Bethine Church Trail was completed in early October. It was one of four area severely damaged during the severe flooding during 2017.
Provided by Boise Parks and Rec

▪  The Bethine Church River Trail, a gravel path north of ParkCenter Boulevard, is now open and fully restored.

▪  Work is in full swing on the The Veterans Park Pathway, a 2,400-foot asphalt path — the largest section of Greenbelt in Boise — that runs to Esther Simplot Park.

▪  Work is also underway on the section between Capitol Boulevard and Broadway Avenue that runs behind Boise State University.

“They are working fast and furious,” Holloway says. “The deadline to finish the bank repair is Jan. 8 (2018), when the water levels are expected to increase.”

▪  Work on the Quinn’s Pond Greenbelt that runs to the Main Street footbridge is on hold for now, Holloway says. That repair was not part of the flood damage and the bids came in higher than expected. So, stay tuned.

Dana Oland: 208-377-6442, @DanaOland

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