As part of their Senior Design Capstone course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students created the design for three access points to the Winnebago River in Mason City, creating opportunities for new and enhanced recreation use of the river.
The goal of the Mason City Waterways Access and Development project was to help safe and useful access points to the Winnebago River, so tubers and kayakers can float through the entire city without disruption. The sites should also serve as an attraction to bring visitors to the town. Currently, the City of Mason City is working with WHK S& Co. of Mason City to reconstruct the dams throughout the Winnebago River. The final design assumes that WHKS has completed construction, and that all dams are passable. The students designed access roads, river landings, parking lots and shelter structures for three separate points along the river, as well as storm water management systems. Along with the designs, students calculated cost estimates for the project.