A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on September 24 of this year by the Rails to Trails committee to celebrate the opening of a significant portion of the Rails to Trails pathway, which will connect communities on both sides of the Red Deer River; however, some delays postponed the official opening until Friday, November 15.
In December 2022, the families of Darrell and Dean Kohut and Drumheller Mayor Heather Colberg announced that they had fully sponsored $125,000 towards the Midland Bridge portion of the project, and would rename it Kohut Crossing in honour of their parents–John and Irene Kohut–and their late-brother, John Kohut Jr.
“This is very exciting, this has been a long time in the works and finally we’re here to connect both sides of the valley via this bridge,” said Drumheller Councillor Crystal Sereda following the ribbon cutting.
She adds this is the perfect time of year for people to take advantage of the newly opened crossing.
“The colours down the Red Deer (River) Valley are beautiful, and lots of people have not seen it, this view, from here.”
In June 2024 the Rails to Trails project received a $100,000 from the Co-Op Community Spaces Grant to help towards upgrades of the bridge to make it useable for pedestrians.
Not only will the opening of Kohut Crossing help to bridge the gap across the Red Deer River from Midland to the north into Newcastle to the south, it will also offer new tourism opportunities for those visiting the Drumheller Valley.
Kohut Crossing will allow residents and visitors alike to have easier access to the Royal Tyrrell Museum and Midland Provincial Park, and will also offer access to residents living in Midland and North Drumheller to Nacmine and other communities south of the Red Deer River via active modes of transportation such as walking and cycling.
