The city of Steamboat Springs has started turning the Workman property on Yampa Street into a public park with an improved riverbank.

Crews on Thursday started to replace a deteriorating culvert next to the park at Butcherknife Creek.

The riverbank surrounding the park is also set for improvements.

Yampa Street will be closed next week between Sixth and Seventh streets to accommodate the work, and that part of the street will remain closed into October.

All public parking and business and residential accesses will remain open in the area.

A pedestrian detour will be established, and the work will not impact the Farmer’s Market in the area.

To accommodate the riverbank improvements, the city recently had to remove four mature cottonwood trees.

The plans for the park call for 200 new willow trees to be planted, along with some new trees.

The park project is funded by the city, accommodations tax dollars voters approved spending on Yampa Street and grant funding from Great Outdoors Colorado.