Agreement announced for "Complete Katy Trail"

Today the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Attorney General's Office, and AmerenUE announced an agreement regarding the Taum Sauk dam disaster (PDF format).

The agreement includes about $180 million in reparation payments from Ameren.

Included in the settlement is the agreement to give DNR usage of a portion of the Rock Island corridor needed to connect the Katy Trail to Pleasant Hill, Missouri. Pleasant Hill is on the edge of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

From Pleasant Hill, plans are already underway to connect the trail through Lee's Summit and eventually to downtown Kansas City and, via the planned metro area trails system, throughout the entire Kansas City metro area.

The portion of the Rock Island corridor that will be used for the trail is about 42 miles.

The trail will be built in the railroad right-of-way alongside the railroad tracks so that railroads can still use the corridor in the future.

Building the Katy Trail Connection alongside the existing track will be relatively expensive compared with building a trail on the railbed, as the rest of the Katy Trail and most rail-trails are. Much grading and foundation work must be done, and bridges and underpasses built alongside existing railroad bridges and underpasses.

However, the agreement includes $18 million from Ameren to assist in construction expenses. Apparently this is not enough to completely construct the 42-mile segment and additional funds will be needed. UPDATE: DNR believes that the Katy Connection can be built for the $18 million budget. The $18 million will be part of DNR's budget, and DNR's budget must be approved by the General Assembly before the project can proceed.

The state also receives first right of refusal for purchase of the railroad corridor if Ameren ever decides to sell it.

Our thanks go to Governor Blunt, Attorney General Jay Nixon, and DNR Director Doyle Childers for working together to make sure the Katy Trail Connection was included in the Ameren agreement.

MoBikeFed and other groups across the state have generated over 5000 7000 email, mail, and phone messages in support of the Katy Trail Connection, as well as numerous resolutions and letters of support from cities, counties, parks departments, community organizations, and other agencies, insuring that our political leaders knew there is strong community support for the trail connection.

Read the complete text of the agreement here (PDF format).

Kansas City Star article here.

Associated Press article here.