Revisiting St. Vrain Greenway to Sandstone Park after 4.8 years

Longmont's St. Vrain Greenway recently re-opened all the way east to Sandstone Ranch, after being closed for 4.8 years due to damage from the 2013 flood.  Finally got back out there on the bike today to check it out. 

Before the flood, the Greenway to Sandstone was a popular bike ride and hike, especially on weekends. But it's been fenced off first at County Road 1 right after the flood and then in 2015, it was extended 1/2 mile east of CR1 for a few more years.

This was the the previous eastern-most point.  The gate was closed and you can still see the leftover "No Trespassing" sign.   Gate is open now!

  
The wetland marsh still exists north of the Greenway as you go toward Sandstone:

The powerful 2013 flood created a new channel of the St. Vrain river out here.  It was decided by the engineers and planners just to leave it as nature carved it out in the flood vs. trying to put the river back in it's pre-2013 shape.  One reason I heard at a city open house was that wildlife had already adopted the new wetlands created by the river split.  A new double-bridge was added over the new channel, kind of hard to see in this picture:

The smaller 2009 bridge remains over the original flow of the river as you cross into Sandstone Ranch:

I saw some wild turkeys after crossing the bridge into the park:

The cliffs at Sandstone:

I was glad to see my old favorite gravel road still there, going in front of the cliffs to the east and then up the hill.  It's in rougher shape than I remember it with lots of loose sand.   I wouldn't try it on skinny bike tires:

The view from the lookout point situated on top of the cliffs:

Hard to believe it's been over 1768 days since I've been able to ride the Greenway to Sandstone.  Very glad it's back.

St. Vrain Greenway east of Main

Seeing the new Sunset Avenue bridge, a visitor asked me the other day if all the damage from the 2013 flood has been repaired. 

Among other things I told him, the popular Pella Crossing park and open space has still not re-opened and the St. Vrain Greenway won't be finished out to Sandstone Ranch until next year (2017) at the earliest (a new long bridge is needed to cross the much-widened river out there.)

Speaking of the St. Vrain Greenway, east of Main, the "bridge to nowhere" still stands:

And the Greenway is being totally rebuilt under Main (looking east):

 

Eastward St. Vrain Greenway Progress

A spectacular week of early summer-like weather in February is coming to an end soon but we still have a few days left to enjoy.  Checking out eastbound St. Vrain Greenway, including this portion below that was just re-opened last week from the 2013 flood damage, just west of 119th Street.

Heading further east, you can even go under CR1 now, it's no longer blocked off:

Hard to believe that it's been over a year and a half since I've seen this bench.  The clump of trees provide some nice shade in the summer.

You can only go a little further east from the bench.  The rest of the way to Sandstone Ranch is closed.

Westbound on the return.  Hello Indian Peaks!

 

Missouri Avenue Pedestrian Bridge Open Again

It's been 450 days since the pedestrian bridge over Lefthand Creek, connecting Missouri Avenue and Kanemoto Park, was last open, due to the September 2013 flood.  Quietly, the bridge was opened again this past week.

On the early morning of September 12, the bridge was open but not for long:

A few hours later, it was blocked off.  Who knew at this point that it would be fifteen months until it was open again?

 The aftermath was ugly:

Repair work started in May 2014, when a crane was brought in to move the bridge aside while the foundation could be rebuilt:

Bridge moved successfully along Missouri Avenue, a few days later:

Two months later, on August 3, the new foundation is complete and the crane is back in the neighborhood to move the bridge back over the creek:

August 7:  the bridge is back in place.

September 8: a lot of earthwork has been done.  Bridge still closed though.

October 14:  getting closer but not open yet.

Today, December 6.   The bridge is open again!  You'd hardly know that anything happened.  The city and their contractors did a fine job in the total restoration effort.

Kanemoto Park Bridge

Crane just moved in, and I got a notice about no power for a few hours on Monday morning.  I'm guessing the flood-damaged bridge on Missouri Avenue is going away then. 

I'm wondering if the bridge itself will be preserved since it was very new at the time of the flood. 

Pike Road Underpass Open Again

Just noticed this morning that the city opened the Lefthand Greenway Pike Road underpass on Friday, February 14.  It's been closed since the flood.

Back in September 2013, this area looked like this:

Back to this morning, I'm not sure why the ant sculptures in Creekside Park are turned over.  

Kanemoto Park Pool Is All Gone Now

The bulldozers have been working the past two weeks to  remove the flood-damaged pool at Kanemoto Park that was way beyond repair.

Here it is (enclosed by the green railing) on Thursday, September 12 when the flood waters along Lefthand Creek started rising:

A day later, the water had eroded the creek banks, the pool fence had been swept away, and the pool itself was starting to crumble.  You can see some of the exposed plumbing that's dangling:

A month later (October), after the water had receded:

Today's view:  pool all gone.  The City has announced that the pool will not re-open in 2014 but that a redesign will be completed this year. 

A pool used to be here:
 

 At the exact location above, from the last pool day in August 2010 when they traditionally let dogs get a chance to enjoy the water:

They'll miss this fun in 2014:

The ground where I stood taking this picture is no longer there: