The City of Riverside has moved forward with plans for the long-awaited Vivion Road Trail.

At the Tuesday, Jan. 7 meeting of the Board of Aldermen, aldermen approved a $1.3 million bid award for the trail to Julius Kaaz Construction of Leavenworth, Kan. for the project. The project includes construction of a paved trail on the south side of Vivion Road from St. Joe Boulevard to Mulberry Avenue, stretching from Riverside into Kansas City across the county line.

The project had many challenges, according to Mayor Kathy Rose, and she congratulated Parks Manager Noel Bennion for getting the project to this point.

The project is one portion of a larger project to build pedestrian safe trails and sidewalks for those walking from Riverside to North Oak.

Also at the meeting, City Administrator Brian Koral gave a report on the city’s response to winter storm Blair, which dumped a foot of snow on the metro area earlier this month. Public works employees as well as first responders worked 20-30-hour shifts, he said, and were forced to rest on inflatable mattresses between runs on city plows.

The city is looking into building a new public works facility, and plans for space to allow workers to rest during severe weather events.

Rose thanked city workers for their contributions during and after the storm.