JEANETTE FAUBION/Citizen photo
Construction crews have resumed work on the water crossing in English Landing Park in Parkville. The project to replace the roadway over White Alloe Creek with a new bridge was suspended in March when the Missouri River first left its banks to flood the park.
The City of Parkville is still working to clean up its riverfront parks just in time for Parkville Days this weekend.
City public works has been rushing to re-open at least portions of the park to the public after the Missouri River left its banks twice earlier this year.
At the Tuesday, Aug. 6 meeting of the board of aldermen, director of public works Alysen Abel said after flood waters receded there were 15 feet of fine silt covering the boat ramp in Platte Landing Park and 2-3 feet of silt on the access road.
As of that meeting, Abel said 132 truckloads of silt has been relocated into other areas of the park. Previously, the city had tried to locate a contractor willing to take the silt, which cannot be redeposited in the river. Unable to find any takers, the city has opted to use the silt to fill low areas and build up problem spots.
“This is a riverfront park that is designed to flood, but this is the first time in many years that the river has deposited this much silt,” Abel said.
She suspects park benches are still buried under silt and the fences at the dog parks may need complete replacement once they’ve been uncovered and inspected.
Work has started again on the low water crossing in English Landing Park. Contractors have blocked White Alloe Creek and resumed work on the project, which was suspended in March when the river first rose out of its banks. A temporary bridge is under construction to allow access to English Landing Park — not for the public, but for city crews to get to work on restoration.
Several 5K runs scheduled for the park this fall may need to be relocated, but Abel said it’s too soon to tell how long trail restoration will take.
The board also approved both readings of an ordinance to install a stop sign on eastbound South National Drive at the intersection, so the city can begin enforcement of the new stop sign quickly to see if the addition slows traffic in the area.
Additional signage indicating an upcoming intersection will also be installed, with Abel saying the city will make other incremental changes to try to better control traffic in the area.
In June, the city held a public forum to present the findings of a traffic study, with residents speaking out against what they felt was the study’s underestimation of traffic volume in the area. In the study, completed by TranSystems at the intersection of South National Drive, River Hills Drive and Crooked Road, consultants concluded that the addition of a few stop signs may be sufficient to address resident concerns.
The residents who spoke out – all with addresses on South National Drive — disagreed, voicing concerns about the speed and volume of drivers and that it will only increase due to additional homes under construction in the area.