• By Sarah Kessinger   Feb 16, 2022  Updated  Feb 23, 2022

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Two miles of the Blue River Rail Trail reopened recently after a major project was undertaken to preserve the river bank at the trail’s popular covered bridge. The project was engineered by Wild Horse River Works of Topeka, which also hauled and placed rocks and did the dirt work along the bank. The project required 3,526 tons of limestone rock and 6,773 cubic yards of soil, said Randy Brown, board president of Marshall County Connection, the volunteer nonprofit that manages the trail. “It was a big project,” he said. The work is expected to last at least 20 years, he added, “so that’s great news.” Bank erosion at the site has been a problem since the river’s flow sped up when the Marysville dam broke several years ago. Since then, the river has eaten away at the south bank near the covered bridge, particularly in times of high flow and floods.

The trail’s first two miles were closed in January so that earthmoving equipment could drive in and build six weirs, small jetties that extend into the river to direct the flow toward the center of the river.

Brown said the weirs are only four feet above water level and are designed to be effective underwater.

“They’re altering the rate of flow so the current stays out in the main channel. I was thinking they might be higher but the engineer explained to me that even if it floods up to six feet above the weirs, the flow is almost zero above the weirs. But if it gets close to the trail, the flow would only be half of what it is in the channel.”

A “bench” of stone and soil was also built lining the bank to help protect it.

“They sprayed grass seed on the bench and when it warms up, they’ll plant 300 cottonwoods and sycamores there,” Brown said. “That’s the only part of the project that isn’t completed and will be done when the weather gets a little bit better.”

The trail group also had 20 semi loads of crushed limestone brought in to re-cover eroded areas along the 13-mile trail, which extends to the state line along woodland, limestone outcroppings, fields and pasture.

“It’s still a little rough,” Brown said of the new surfacing. “We need to get some moisture, and then we’ll scrape it and smooth it out. That was another fairly big project to complete.”

Many people in the community contributed “very generously” to the preservation project, Brown said.

“I want them to be aware their money was utilized for this work. Hopefully our trail and covered bridge are safe for many years to come.”

A family of cyclists, a couple out walking and a woman and her dog were on the trail early Monday afternoon enjoying the unseasonably warm temperatures.

“What a great day!” called a woman on a bicycle as she rode past the bridge.

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