Updates on Katy Trail to KC connection in June

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is planning a series of meetings for the public to give updates on the status of the Katy Trail Connection from Windsor to Pleasant Hill, on the edge of the Kansas City metro area.

As the press release below indicates, DNR is expected to have the first five miles of the trail going southeast from Pleasant Hill completed within 12-18 months.

Department of Natural Resources

Informational Meetings Planned for Rock Island Trail-Katy Connector

JEFFERSON CITY, MO., JUNE 2, 2009 — Work is under way on the Rock Island Trail-Katy Connector between Windsor and Pleasant Hill. In an effort to ensure that the public is kept aware of the progress, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources is inviting the general public to information meetings in June about the trail and the planned construction.

The schedule for the meetings follows:

June 10, 7 to 9 p.m. Windsor Senior Center, 201 S. Main, Windsor
June 11, 7 to 9 p.m. Pleasant Hill High School, 1 Rooster Way, Pleasant Hill
June 12, 7 to 9 p.m. Hallar Building, 101 W. Third St., Holden

Staff from the Department of Natural Resources and the design contractor, CDG Engineering, will be available to provide information on the current status and long range plans for the trail and discuss various issues that may be of interest to the public.

The Rock Island Trail-Katy Connector is a 46-mile hiking and bicycling trail that the Department is building alongside the Rock Island Railroad corridor from Windsor to Pleasant Hill. The trail will connect to Katy Trail State Park at Windsor and provide a trail access into the Kansas City area.

The opportunity for this trail became available when access to the Rock Island Railroad corridor became part of the settlement between the state and AmerenUE for the Taum Sauk Reservoir breach that damaged Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park. The settlement provided the Department with a perpetual trail license to build alongside the railroad and funds to plan and construct the trail.

The first five miles of the trail beginning in Pleasant Hill and going east is expected to be completed within 12-18 months.