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Trail connection completed between Katy Trail and Holts Summit

Submitted by MoBikeFed Webmaster on Mon, 12/21/2009 - 12:00am
One of the major goals of MoBikeFed's Vision of Bicycling and Walking in Missouri is to get more Missouri communities plugged into the Katy Trail.
Right now about 350,000 residents live in communities directly connected to the Katy Trail but there are over 2.5 million who live in communities that could be plugged directly into the Katy Trail, or (as with Columbia, MO) into a network of trails that connects to the Katy.
A big step in moving that vision forward happened recently as the connection between the Katy Trail and Holts Summit, just north of Jefferson City, opened.
Even though there are still a few last-minute details left to complete, riders will now be able to make the trip north to Holts Summit with the completion of a five-mile addition. Pamela Murray, who has been involved with the project in both her capacities with the Holts Summit Community Betterment Association and as Ward I Alderwoman with city's Board of Aldermen, said the project has been in the planning stages for several years. However, it wasn't until recently that the project had the money needed to make it a reality.
Roger Schwartze of MoDOT District 5 lent MoDOT's support to the project (much of it runs through MoDOT right-of-way) and Bill Lockwood of the Jefferson City Parks Department stepped up to take care of trail maintenance--which is required for these projects, and which the city of Holts Summit had been unable to take on.
The project also benefited from a substantial donation from the William A. Kerr Foundation, a major supporter of bicycling and trails projects and programs in Missouri.
A few more details from the Holts Summit Community Betterment Association:
The trail connector will run alongside highway 54 just before the Summit Drive ramp. The Missouri Department of Transportation has right of way there for the project. The trail extension is about 1,000 feet and will run from the right of the ramp (as you look towards Holts Summit) and connect to the gravel road that runs to the Riviera Heights Weather View turn off. It is near the bee hives.
The Holts Summit connector trail meets the Katy Trail just east of the North Jefferson Trailhead and proceeds just on the southeast side of Hwy 54.It connects to the Hwy 54 frontage shown here, near Weatherview Drive:

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Update:

The Jefferson City Tribune article on the trail connection was featured on the front page of the newspaper--and the article also featured a photo of BikeMo 2009 participants rolling out from the start area:

 

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