Reasons for connecting the Katy Trail to Kansas City

An article in today's Columbia Missourian highlights MoBikeFed's effort to galvanize support for the Katy Trail Connection--the effort to connect Kansas City to the Katy Trail and make the Katy a truly stateline-to-stateline trail:

The Katy Trail’s 225 miles of hiking and biking paths cut through the heart of Missouri from St. Charles to Clinton. If the Missouri Bicycle Federation has its way, the trail might soon grow west another 75 miles into Kansas City.

That prospect excited Judy Knudson, 63, an active Columbia cyclist whose initial rides on the Katy Trail led to two cross-country biking trips as well as a two-wheel jaunt through France’s Loire Valley.

“I’m absolutely in favor of them extending that trail,” she said of efforts by the nonprofit bicycle federation. “I think this is incredibly important.”

The statewide group hopes to generate similar excitement among Missouri cyclists, businesses and political leaders for a bid to extend the trail along an abandoned rail corridor as far west as Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums in Kansas City. The new spur would begin in Windsor, about 16 miles north of the trail’s current western endpoint.

The article has a nice graphic showing the existing Katy Trail and how the Katy Trail Connection to Kansas City fits in.

Find out more about the proposed Katy Trail Connection and how you can help support the effort for the Katy Trail Connection here.