Debris clean-up from Red River almost complete along River Trail

Crews working on cleaning up the River Trail after high water levels left excessive amounts of debris. Aug. 9, 2022. (Source: Scott Andersson/CTV News)

The Red River is back to a normal height and the River Trail is open, but that doesn't mean it's easily walkable.

The city said crews continue to work on cleaning up the trail throughout the city as debris was left behind once the river receded, including the stretch from The Forks to the Legislative Building.

"This location saw water levels rise significantly when crews were mostly through their first round of seasonal cleaning; now that it has receded crews are once again cleaning and expect to finish adding new material to the trail to freshen it up in the coming days," a spokesperson for the city said.

The spokesperson said it's not uncommon to have to clean the walkway several times a year as the water rises and recedes, but they noted this year the trail was under water for a significant amount of time which led to more debris.

They also added that part of the trail will be closed for the remainder of the year because of damage in the winter.

"The ice this past winter caused some additional damages to the trail and related features, especially to the structure under the rail bridge; this portion of the path will remain closed until a permanent solution is built."