Major flood damage that closed sections of the Illinois & Michigan Canal towpath between Utica and Buffalo Rock State Park during the last few years soon may be repaired, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Tim Hickmann, chief of the IDNR's parks and recreation division, said Tuesday bids are out to contractors and are due into the site office by Friday, Aug. 21 to repair serious towpath washouts. The breaks occurred during one or more of the recent "100-year floods" that have damaged the Illinois River area in recent times.

In fact, according to Hickmann, there are several places along the popular biking trail that have been affected by rushing flood waters. He said it takes time to work added expensive repairs due to unexpected events into IDNR budgets.

Local biking enthusiasts such as Ray Anderes, owner of the Uptown Grill in La Salle, was happy to hear about the state giving the closed towpath sections some needed attention.

"Some of those breaks (along the trail) have been impassable for two or three years," he said, adding many local people and business owners like himself would welcome the long overdue repairs.

Anderes called the I & M Canal one of the area's major tourism assets that attracts people from across the Midwest. "The path is important to Illinois Valley businesses and our tourism (market)," he said.

Hickmann stressed when a section of any state trail has "closed" signs posted for public safety, hikers or bikers might face tickets and fines from conservation police for ignoring such warnings.

"It is a safety issue and it is up to the conservation officers to decide whether a ticket is issued or not," he said.

According to reports from other local towpath bikers, some of the washouts now have makeshift simple bridges and paths constructed with branches and lumber by locals who use the towpath on a regular basis. The state had no comment on these amateur and potentially dangerous temporary repairs.