Meridian Trail

I know I have posted a LOT today...record for me but I ran across this article and had to post it! This will be nice when it is done as long as it is kept up! (hope this dude is ok with me copying his article on to my blog....I left his name on it just in case!)

Above is the picture taken by me on the South Dakota side of the Meridian bridge. This bridge links Nebraska to South Dakota on Hwy 81. There is a new bridge being built (much to my dismay!) to the west of the old bridge or to the right in the picture above. The top part of the Meridian bridge is for traffic heading north into South Dakota and the bottom is for heading south into Nebraska. It used to be an lift bridge back in its day but all the weights were taken off a lot of years ago. The span between the two towers would lift up to allow river traffic to go under the bridge.

Thursday, December 27, 2007
Meridian Trail Project Awarded $170,000 Grant
By: Nathan Johnson (yankton.net)

Officials are ecstatic about the recent announcement of a grant to fund the majority of a recreational trail along the southern shore of the Missouri River.
The Nebraska Department of Roads recently announced that the Nebraska Meridian Trail project had been awarded more than $170,000 in Transportation Enhancement grant money.
The remaining cost of the estimated $213,000 project is expected to be covered by matching funds from the Lewis and Clark Natural Resource District (L&CNRD), Cedar County (Neb.) and the City of Yankton.
"It is exciting. We were finally able to accomplish phase one to get the trail started," said Tom Moser, the manager of the Hartington, Nebraska-based L&CNRD. His organization has tried to secure funding for the project during the course of three years.
The planned 10-foot wide, 6,200-linear-foot recycled crushed concrete trail will begin near the Gavins Point Dam and run parallel along Highway 121 to Aten, Neb. It is the first phase of what is being considered a four-phase project that will eventually connect the dam to the Meridian Bridge and the Corps of Discovery Welcome Center along Highway 81.
Moser said he hopes that funding can be secured for a phase per year.
"I'm real hopeful on that because, when the old Meridian Bridge gets turned over as a trail for the City of Yankton, we need someplace to go," he said. "That's going to pull a lot of weight when we go back with a funding application in subsequent years."
The total cost of the four-phase project is undetermined, Moser said.
Now that funding has been obtained for the first phase, he said an engineering and permitting process must be completed before construction commences.
Moser said he hopes that construction can begin in the spring.
It's gratifying to see entities in both Nebraska and South Dakota cooperating to accomplish something that will benefit the entire region, Moser said.
"You've got a beautiful trail going along the north side of the (Missouri) river to the dam," he said. "Wouldn't it be super to be able to get across Gavins Point Dam and come back on the Nebraska side to see something a little different?"
Moser said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has plans to build trails that connect to the Gavins Point Dam itself, as well as the Visitors Center on Calumet Bluff.
The Discovery Bridge, which will cross the Missouri River at Yankton, is expected to be complete before the end of 2008. Once it becomes operational, the Meridian Bridge will be converted into a recreational trail. The City of Yankton is currently working on plans to make its downtown area more appealing to pedestrians and bicyclists. It is also considering plans for the wooded area it owns on the south side of the Meridian Bridge.