Bicyclists can now ride from Des Moines and Carlisle completely by trail. After more than a year of construction, the new Karras-Kaul Connector Trail is open, despite major damage caused by trespassers.

The Good

The trail fills in the gap between the City of Des Moines’ Easter Lake Spine Trail and the City of Carlisle Nature Trail. The north end of the three-mile section begins just north of E. Army Post Rd. in Des Moines. It takes cyclists into a tunnel beneath Army Post and continues to the southeast through undeveloped areas of the city before connecting to the Carlisle trail.

Once in Carlisle, cyclists can link to the Summerset Trail, which runs between Carlisle and Indianola. The completion of Karras-Kaul is a major step for regional connectivity, allowing cyclists to ride completely on trails from Indianola to Big Creek State Park near Polk City.

The Bad

Getting the project to the finish line came with challenges, some of which were due to the actions of over-eager cyclists.

Colby Fangman of Des Moines Parks and Recreation told DSM Bike Notes that people illegally using the trail while it was under construction caused thousands of dollars in damage.

Fangman said one cyclist went past several layers of barricades, rode through 650 feet of wet pavement curing compound, and another 300 feet of wet and soft concrete. Fangman said removing and replacing the damaged pavement cost $20,000.

“Our department spent years writing grants to secure enough funding to develop the Karras-Kaul Connector Trail,” Fangman said.  “It is very demoralizing to those that spend years advocating for and working on a project to see it damaged by a bad actor before it can even be opened to the public.”

Fangman said contractors faced similar challenges while working on the Bill Riley Trail project, with cyclists blowing past barricades and riding on fresh asphalt. He said damage was estimated at $10,000, which does not include time lost while checking and reinstalling fencing several times a day.

“The staffing costs just to maintain traffic controls due to regular vandalism can become extraordinary,” Fangman said.

He told DSM Bike Notes that some cyclists took their disregard for the active construction sites to a different level.

“The city’s contractors were also verbally assaulted on multiple occasions when confronting trail users illegally forcing their way though construction corridors,” Fangman said.

He said this is a good reminder for cyclists and other trail users to stay away from construction projects until all barricades are removed.

The Future

While the trail is now open, the City of Des Moines still needs to install a few finishing touches, including benches, bike racks and permanent fencing.

Fangman said an official ribbon-cutting and dedication event will be held in the spring of 2025, once every element is in place.

The Name

In case you were wondering what’s behind the trail’s name, the City of Des Moines says it pays tribute to the late founders of RAGBRAI, John Karras and Don Kaul.

What Is DSM Bike Notes?

DSM Bike Notes is a new weekly newsletter I’m launching. Who am I? My name is Zach Tecklenburg. I live in Des Moines’ Union Park neighborhood with my partner and our pup.

At the beginning of 2024, I “retired” from 15 years of working as a TV news journalist. I’ve since started a new career in communications, but have found I miss finding and reporting content that’s important to our community.

I knew I wanted to start an online publication, but I also hoped to create something that doesn’t already exist. There is so much happening in the Des Moines area bicycling community, and there is no outlet dedicated specifically to covering news important to cyclists. That’s why I decided to start DSM Bike Notes.

You can expect me to cover the good and the bad in the local bicycling world. I’ll report on topics like expanding infrastructure, decisions that impact cyclists’ access and safety, and profiles of people, places and businesses that matter to the cycling community.

Over the next several weeks, I will be releasing a story or two here and there. I want to get into the rhythm of finding and creating content before I fully launch on Thursday, January 9. That’s when I will send out my first free weekly newsletter. You can expect to see DSM Bike Notes in your inbox every Thursday morning with a handful of fresh stories.

In the meantime, I’d love it if you subscribe to DSM Bike Notes, like my Facebook page, and send me your story ideas at [email protected]. I hope my newsletter becomes a part of your routine, so I want to know what’s important to you and what you’re curious about.