Kansas City's Riverfront Heritage Trail coming together

The KCStar has an article about the current construction of various segments of the Riverfront Heritage Trail. The trail will stretch from the Isle of Capri Casino to Berkley Riverfront Park and finally across the Kaw River to downtown Kansas City, Kansas. Several segments of the trail are already completed; the grand opening of the trail is planned for July 4th, 2004, to coordinate with the Lewis and Clark bicentennial celebration in the area.

"Things are coming together in the next year that have been 20 years in the making," [Port Authority attorney Mike Burke] said. . . .

Darby Trotter, longtime civic activist and president of the Kansas City River Trails Inc., a nonprofit organization, said he's often embarrassed when he compares Kansas City's riverfront to other cities' scenic riverwalks. But Kansas City is finally starting to reclaim its history with its new trail.

"We want this to be a recreational and educational experience," he said. The suburbs have many popular trails, he notes, but they need a downtown hub. "If we do a good job," he said of the river trails citizens organization, "we'll eventually work our way out of a job."

The Riverfront Trail has also unveiled a new web site.