Long-standing drainage problems that have hampered accessibility and safety on the City of Newton’s cycling and hiking trails will be fixed by a Clive business. According to City Administrator Matt Muckler, the trails are not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act because of the accumulation of muck, gravel, and standing water on low-lying sections. In order to guarantee enough water flow beneath the path surface, Modern Concrete Incorporated has been given the contract to raise the low portions of the trail and construct culvert pipes beneath them. Additionally, some parts of the bike trail and trek will need to be replaced. For this job, the City of Newton received seven bids, with prices ranging from slightly less than $30,000 to about $46,000. The engineer’s estimate of $37,500 was exceeded by Modern Concrete’s accepted low bid of $29,924. Bond money will be used to cover the cost of the work, which must be finished by the end of August.
