The bidding process for the Iowa River Trail Bridge Replacement Project will commence at the end of April for $459,000 after the Iowa City City Council unanimously approved the project at its formal meeting Tuesday.

“The Iowa River Trail bridge is located to the east of the Riverside Drive and Myrtle Avenue intersection and has reached the end of its service life,” the Council Action Report wrote. 

The action report said the bridge will be replaced with an engineered retaining wall, providing the same trail route for users at a reduced cost compared to the trail bridge.

The area is on university property and is owned and managed by the University of Iowa, the council noted at its Tuesday meeting.

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Construction is planned for May through September 2025 to have the trail ready for students to use in the fall semester.

The civil engineer behind the project, Jason Havel, said replacing the trail bridge will allow pedestrians and cyclists to feel more confident and safe in using it.   

“We continue to want to grow and prioritize those bike and pedestrian accommodations [for] trail improvement, and we do want to reduce that maintenance with city staff,” Havel said. 

He also spoke on the panels and support on the trail needing replacement.

“We had a consultant evaluate the bridge as an important condition and recommended replacement of the trail bridge, [or it] will likely deteriorate far enough that we’re going to have to replace it,” Havel said.