Sneak peak at progress on the Rock Island Trail on Natl Trails Day

The Lake Expo recently reported on a sneak peak on progress towards Missouri's new cross-state trail, the Rock Island Trail, on National Trails Day:

Missouri's Rock Island Trail - all segments shown here are now moving forward quickly

Those who joined Missouri Rock Island Trail Inc. and other organizations for the day saw firsthand the success of the Katy Trail across Missouri and the potential for the Rock Island Trail. The first 47-mile section of the Rock Island from Pleasant Hill to Windsor will open this year. Salvage of the tracks on an additional 144 miles of Rock Island corridor across Missouri from Windsor to near St. Louis should be completed in 2017. The current owner, the Ameren electric company, will then donate the corridor to Missouri State Parks for development. Windsor will one day be at the crossroads of one of the longest loop trails anywhere.

Kim Henderson, Windsor city administrator and MoRIT board member, says the event was a huge success. “It was a great first event to make folks aware of how close the first section of the Rock Island is to being completed. It brought people from both sides of the state to check out the progress. Windsor is excited to be the crossroads of the Katy and Rock Island and we expect to see a lot of new visitors from Kansas City and elsewhere,” Henderson said.

Salvage on the 144-mile section of trail between Windsor and Beaufort (near Washington, MO) is proceeding quickly.

We are strongly encouraging Ameren, Missouri State Parks, Governor Nixon to move forward with finalizing the interim trail agreement for this section of the Rock Island before Governor Nixon leaves office in 2017.

Governor Nixon and Missouri State Parks have committed to completing and opening the 47-mile section of the Rock Island Trail between Windsor and Pleasant Hill by December 31st, 2016.

Earlier this year, Jackson County and the KCATA complete purchase of the final 17.7 miles of the Rock Island corridor leading into the center of the Kansas City metro area. They are expecting to announce the start of work to build that section of trail this summer.

After decades of slow and no progress, the decades-long dream of turning the Rock Island railroad into a statewide trail is finally moving forward quickly on all fronts!

Many thanks to our state and local leaders who have worked hard to make it happen--and we encourage them all to continue moving this important project forward at full speed ahead!

Working to support creation of a world class bicycle and pedestrian transportation system is one of the top priorities of MoBikeFed's Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri. Working to support creation of trails like the Rock Island Trail is one way we work towards that goal.

Your ongoing membership and generous financial support help turn our Vision into reality!