Potential new cross-state Rock Island Trail in the news

Missouri's Public News Service today covered the effort to extend the Rock Island Trail another 145 miles, in combination with the Katy Traill, creating a 450+ mile trail loop across Missouri:

Plans to transform a defunct stretch of railroad into a second cross-state bicycle-and-walking path are picking up speed, and could be finalized within the next few weeks. 

Brent Hugh, executive director of the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation, said turning the Rock Island corridor, which stretches from Kansas City to St. Louis, into a rails-to-trails project would be both a fitness and economic boon for the state. 

"If you have a little trail, 10 miles or whatever, that's nice, but if you have, a 500-mile cross-state trail network, people will fly from out of the country to experience that," he said. . . .

Officials at Ameren are expected to make a decision on the trail in the next few weeks.

Support for the trail has just reached 9000 signatures.  If you support a major new cross-state trail in Missouri, please be sure to sign on in support!