Complete Katy Trail--now on the EASTERN side

Attention is focused now on the western end of the Katy Trail, where the Department of Natural Resources has announced a 46-mile extension that will take the trail to the Kansas City metro area.

But what about the eastern end? Ray at at BikeKatyTrail.com has given us an update about what is going with the roughly 11-mile section between St. Charles and Machens, which was part of the original "railbank", but where difficulties have kept trail from being built until recently:

The extension from St Charles to Machens is still not open. The bottom line is that the extension is completed, except for a one mile section just past St Charles. This incomplete section runs across a private levee, and the state is still trying to work out legal issues. The state can't say when it will be ready, but it looks like we'll be waiting a while longer. In the meantime, some trail users have posted information on the Katy Trail forum, about how to use the part of the extension that is ready:

http://www.bikekatytrail.com/ktforumthread.asp?thid=1569
http://www.bikekatytrail.com/ktforumthread.asp?thid=1546
http://www.bikekatytrail.com/ktforumthread.asp?thid=1263

By the way--if you are interested in the Katy Trail, Ray's KT Alert newsletter is worth signing up for . . .