Complete Katy Trail gains momentum

Gov. Blunt has joined the push to have Missouri's Katy Trail connect St. Louis and Kansas City.

Quad State Trail Plan

He wants Ameren UE to donate an abandoned railroad track to the trail, as compensation for the utility company's Taum Sauk reservoir rupture and devastating billion-gallon water spill last year. The damage closed Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, which partially reopened over the Memorial Day weekend.

Cyclists can ride the trail from St. Charles through mid-Missouri to Clinton, but they want to go farther. . . .

"It's not only connecting the Katy to Kansas City, but it's the key piece that is missing in a four-state trail plan where people would be able to ride their bike or walk all the way from Omaha to St. Joseph to Kansas City to Clinton, Sedalia, Jefferson City, Columbia and St. Louis," he explained.

"I think there's a lot of people in the Kansas City area who would love to ride on down, hit the trail here and head on over across the state," said state Rep. Shannon Cooper of Clinton.

"It's something people across the political spectrum support. People in urban areas support it. People in rural areas support it, the large towns, the small towns. It's one of those things, like motherhood and apple pie," added Hugh, who hopes his dream is becoming more than just pie in the sky.

Ameren has not responded to the governor's request.