Trail Preservation and Safety Enhancement Through GIS in Des Moines

The Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department undertook a transformative project to address maintenance challenges across its 70-mile trail network. The trails, a cornerstone of community wellness and connectivity, saw over 2.3 million trips in 2023. However, deferred maintenance and limited staffing left the system vulnerable to safety hazards and liabilities. Park planners Colby Fangman and Derek Hansen developed a GIS-driven strategy to audit, analyze, and prioritize trail maintenance needs.

Each year, a comprehensive audit records issues such as cracks, unstable embankments, and hazardous trees using GIS data collection apps. The data feeds into a dynamic trail audit web map, which categorizes problems by severity and repair urgency. This approach enables resource allocation based on health, safety, and welfare criteria while minimizing risks. The park planners used their GIS findings to successfully secure a $3.9 million budget increase over 10 years and a $1 million allocation from American Rescue Plan funds. Repairs began in Spring 2024, targeting the highest-priority corridors.