Bicyclists, kick up your kickstands: an extra 11 miles of Katy Trail in St. Charles County should be yours for the pedaling as early as this summer.
Gov. Matt Blunt announced today that the state and the local levee district have finally reached an agreement on completing the section of trail from St. Charles north to Machens. . . .
For years, the stretch has remained incomplete and closed to the public, largely because floodwaters washed out two large sections of trail. The section has long been depicted on trail maps as a dotted line, and bicyclists and walkers starting their journeys in St. Charles have had no choice but to head south.
The state has since routed the trail around one washout, but getting around the other washout requires building the trail on the levee. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Consolidated North County Levee District have worked for months on an agreement for building the trail on the levee, which irons out liability, maintenance and construction details.
The state is now working with a consultant on design work and construction should begin this summer, said Trent Summers, policy advisor for the governor. The work could be complete later this summer but more likely in the fall, he said.
The state also wants to continue building the trail, to connect it to the Confluence Point State Park.
Constant communication from Katy Trail supporters to Missouri's political leaders, organized by the Missouri Bicycle Federation, has played an important role in keeping the campaign to "Complete the Katy Trail" in the limelight and show our political leaders there is strong community support for extending the Katy Trail and connecting it to all nearby communities.
