A big construction project is underway on the Weber River Parkway. You may have noticed all the equipment on the east side of Highway 89 as you travel through Uintah and South Weber, near the mouth of Weber Canyon. Crews are busy installing a tunnel under the highway, in order to create a pedestrian and bicycle connection on the south side of the river. This tunnel is a key component in the parkway, and former mayor Jo Sjoblom and others at South Weber City worked for many years to make it a reality. It is scheduled for completion this summer.

A little farther downstream, at Blackner’s Bend, the new stream channel that we built in the fall of 2020 has been functioning brilliantly, with just the right amount of flow during low water and no erosion or damage during high water. New vegetation has managed to survive in spite of intense drought and the daily canyon wind, and on Earth Day weekend this year a group of more than a dozen volunteers helped add to the greenery. The folks from Grassroots Salon & Spa in Layton planted 22 trees and shrubs, moved dirt to where it was needed, and set up several rustic log benches along the new channel.

We have just begun Phase II at Blackner’s Bend, and we will be evaluating just what we can do this summer with our current budget. The cost of bridges, steel, concrete, and everything else has gone up dramatically since last year! In the meantime, the pathway next to the Riverside RV Park has been completed and is open for use. It goes more than half a mile upstream from the Uintah Bridge and offers a pleasant stroll along the river.Downstream from the Cottonwood Drive Trailhead, we are actively monitoring four erosion points, where the river threatens to damage the trail. The most serious of these is at Hawthorn Bend, where a large chunk of the pathway has already fallen into the river. We’ve created a single-track detour around the hazard area, but a permanent solution will require big equipment and significant funding. In the short term, a wooden bridge would be very useful for crossing a small stream that flows into the river there; it would make a great Eagle Scout project! In the long term, we are working with RiverRestoration and Trout Unlimited to find erosion control solutions that will respect the river while ensuring that this popular section of the parkway will remain intact.

-Written by TFNU Advisory Board Member & Landscape Architect, Geoff Ellis