The City of Perry has evolved into a biking community. They are a major stop along the Raccoon River Valley Trail, one of the largest continual loop trails in the country. Perry is positioned east of High Trestle Trail. The ideal connection point for this trail is near an up and coming residential area and adjacent to schools. The city needed to move forward with improvements to allow for the growth, but had no plan on integrating a trail connection that would fit into the area and create a high-use connection.

Bolton & Menk worked with the City of Perry, Dallas County Conservation, and the Iowa DOT to create options that would meet the needs of the local users and the overall connection plan for High Trestle Trail, while creating connectivity between the trails to highlight Perry’s biking history. The connection was able to be programmed and funded by Iowa DOT’s STP program. It became an integral part of the city’s growth and school district’s future plans.

The construction of the trail created a regional passion to complete the remainder of the connection through the county. Bolton & Menk worked with the city to develop alignment options that create a trail experience through parts of the historic railroad corridors, a rich part of the community’s history. Creating the first link from the City of Perry has motivated the agencies to consider additional funding and interest.