In a few years, KC bikers and hikers will be able to trek 46 miles of pioneer trails | The Kansas City Star

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Pioneers traveled through Kansas City bearing clothes, food and tools. They were willing to put thousands of miles on their wagons as they chased a better life to the west, following the Santa Fe, Oregon or California trails.

A plan to let folks follow in their footsteps was first sketched out 25 years ago on a few pieces of paper. The going has been slow, but trail advocates and designers now say walkers and cyclists just have a few years more to wait. . . .

Starting in Sugar Creek, the trail will zigzag southwest for about 46 miles through Independence, Raytown, south Kansas City, Leawood, Overland Park and Olathe before ending in Gardner, where westward travelers went their separate ways. . . .

The groundwork for the trail was laid out more than 20 years ago as a bullet point in a list of goals set by trail enthusiasts in south Kansas City.

More recently a 10.5-mile stretch, broken into 16 segments, was laid out in the Pedestrian Intermodal Transportation Connector Plan, which was put together by two community improvement districts and Kansas City.

But that’s just a quarter of the corridor.

Supporters of the 3-Trails project wanted a plan that involved all the counties and cities through which the historic trail would run.

Now they’re going to get one.

The National Park Service is working with the Mid-America Regional Council, which acts as a conduit for federal money, to come up with a comprehensive plan.

The job was awarded to local designer Steve Rhoades of Vireo, a Kansas City design firm.

Rhoades expects to submit his plan to the National Park Service and to have it finalized by the end of next summer.

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In a few years, KC bikers and hikers will be able to trek 46 miles of pioneer trails | The Kansas City Star

MoBikeFed comment: This trail vision has been coming together by bits and pieces for many years. It is good to see major federal and regional support coming together to make it happen.