People who use the Ron MacDonald Riverfront Trail system on the south side of the Clark Fork River may face some detours during construction.
Crews moved equipment into the river, west of the Higgins Avenue Bridge, Thursday and will continue for several weeks - perhaps until the end of February, said Kris Cook, project manager for Envirocon, the company overseeing the work.
“We'll demolish what needs to be demolished, then start putting rock into the river,” Cook said.
The new diversion dam has been designed to create a whitewater feature in the river, where kayakers and search-and-rescue professionals can practice tricks and water maneuvers.
Aqua barriers - “they're kind of like big water mattresses,” Cook said - will be installed next, to divert water from the in-river construction site. After rocks are positioned for the irrigation weir, mortar will be blown into the crevices to hold the structure together.
“The hardest part is diverting the water to keep the work area free of water,” Cook said. “Even if you divert it, you have to keep a pump going.”
The rocks are from Drummond, chosen for their size and compatibility with the Clark Fork River environment, he said.
The Missoula Whitewater Association has spearheaded the Brennan's Wave project, bringing in a professional engineering company to design a new irrigation ditch that will double as a whitewater play spot. Supporters have negotiated contracts and agreements with various governmental and private agencies and raised money for the work.
Funding has come from the Missoula Redevelopment Agency, which contributed more than $100,000; a memorial fund for the man after whom the project is named, Brennan Guth, a world-class kayaker who died in a water accident in 2001; private donations; and in-kind and pro bono work.
Envirocon, Modern Machinery and the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation are donating about $40,000 to $50,000 in equipment use and professional fees for construction, Cook said.
“We've done some of these structures before - five or six on the Platte River - and these guys know what they're doing,” he said.
“We knew the design engineer, and we were pretty excited about doing something for the community,” he said. “It'll clean up the river and improve the aesthetics, and we'll have something the community will use.”
Walkers, runners, bikers and others using the riverfront trails may face some interruptions in their routines - and routes - over the next few weeks.
Construction vehicles are entering riverfront trails at the east end of Fourth Street near Toole Park, and driving west on the trail to the Boone and Crockett headquarters in the old Milwaukee Depot, just west of the Higgins Avenue Bridge.
The trucks will dump their loads of rock into the river and turn around in a nearby parking lot, said Missoula Parks and Recreation officials.
Missoula Whitewater Association members are acting as volunteer flaggers.
Trail users may need to detour around the south side of the Boone and Crockett headquarters to avoid the active construction area in front of the depot. Use caution and step off the trail when trucks approach, parks officials said.
Reporter Mea Andrews can be reached at 523-5246 or at mandrews@missoulian.com
On the Net
Find out more about Brennan's Wave and the Missoula Whitewater Association at www.missoulawhitewater.org.
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