We're heading into winter, but work continues on sections of the Boise River Greenbelt that were damaged back in the spring.
Incredibly high flows on the Boise River this past spring have left their mark on the greenbelt. Nearly 700 feet of the pathway was damaged, totaling about $165,000.
"It's really hard to predict what Mother Nature is going to do," said Doug Holloway, City of Boise Parks & Recreation Director. "It's really hard to predict what, for example, our riverbanks will look like, once the flooding has been completed."
Two sections of the greenbelt remain closed, under Parkcenter Bridge and Veterans Memorial Parkway.
This week, crews began working on restoring the riverbank, strengthening the natural bank using river rock and stabilization techniques.
All in all, it's about a $1 million project. The work, the city says, should hold up in the event of future flooding.
"Hopefully, that will withhold a little bit stronger flooding forces next year," Holloway said. "No guarantees, but it certainly would be a much better engineered product than just the natural bank itself."
The city says work on the riverbank under Parkcenter Bridge won't begin until next fall. That section of the greenbelt will have a detour for folks using the trail.
