Trail system proposed to link Omaha, Lincoln, Kansas City, St. Louis

A Kansas City Star article details the efforts of Ross Greathouse to create a quad-state trail plan that will unify the multi-use trails of four states, including Missouri, and eventually connect Lincoln, NE, with St. Louis via a 700-mile traill system.

About 250 miles need to be built, but the Quad State Trail would join roughly 450 miles of existing trails, such as the Katy Trail in Missouri and St. Joseph's Parkway Trail system. It would run smack-dab through Kansas City. . . .

“The real idea here is that there are all these trails that are being done individually, and if you can get people to look at them in a regional context, it puts local trail sections in perspective of how important they are to the overall system,” said John Royster, a landscape architect in Omaha who has joined Greathouse in working on the Quad State.

Royster and nearly everyone involved in the project points to the positive impact the Katy Trail has had on local businesses. Rhoades said the Quad State Trail would be a boon to Kansas City as well.

“There's no better example than the Katy Trail,” Rhoades said. “In these small towns, bed-and-breakfasts have popped up. But certainly for the metropolitan area, the $1.25 bottles of water and snacks, that all contributes to the local economy.”