(Update 09/10/19) – At its September 10th meeting, the Riverdale City Council asked MSA Professional Services to survey the land where the MRT runs adjacent to the Havens Acres neighborhood so a barrier fence project can be discussed with residents. The resolution (#2019-28) authorizes MSA to conduct a survey of the area, document the boundaries of the land parcels involved, identify the owners and participate in two community meetings to discuss the costs and other considerations around building a barrier fence between the MRT and homes along the path.

The consideration of constructing some kind of barrier between the MRT and the residents who live along it is just part of a larger initiative undertaken by the City to address the chronic problems identified by citizens who live along Kensington Street and Wisteria Drive in the Havens Acres neighborhoods. For years, residents have been complaining about vehicular traffic on the bike path and both cars and bikes cutting through yards to get from the MRT onto the neighborhood’s streets.

Other aspects of the initiative include additional signage, security cameras, working with the City of Bettendorf to create a diversion for Duck Creek Bike Path traffic and including a bike lane in the road resurfacing/rehabilitation project currently in process for Kensington Street.  Those projects will be handled individually over time in an attempt to adequately manage the bike and foot traffic in the neighborhood resulting from its proximity to both the Duck Creek and Mississippi River Bike Trails.