Portion of North Platte River to be Closed

On Tuesday, September 29th, construction will begin in-the North Platte River and requires that the river be closed to the public from Paradise Valley to the Wyoming Boulevard Bridge into Mills. Large equipment will be on site in Morad Park and in the river. It will be important to have the river closed during this time for public safety. Contractors plan to work 6 to 7 days per week to keep on their proposed timeline. Completion of this phase of the project is slated for the end of this year.

This announcement comes shortly after the announcement of the Morad Park and lower pathway closure. The new pathway along the perimeter of the park will remain open, and all dogs on the pathway will be required to be on leash until the park reopens. City Manager John Patterson once again emphasized the importance of safety and completion the project in the short timeline dictated by river flows and weather. “We are very excited about this project and what river restoration will do for Casper,” stated Patterson. “It’s not often that an infrastructure project is also a conservation project, an economic development project, and a quality of life project all at the same time.”

Bank erosion abatement, water quality improvement, and habitat improvement were some of the river restoration benefits cited by Patterson. Rock structures built in the river to direct water to the middle of the channel, woody debris structures built into the river banks and wetlands built to filter storm water from outfalls are some of the features at the Morad Park site. The banks will be re-vegetated in the spring. “We expect the park to reopen and all leash restrictions to be lifted in late December,” said Patterson.