Phase I of Jackson County portion of Rock Island Trail near opening but subject of landowner lawsuit (Capitol Day Apr 23rd!) | KSHB

Headlines are quick hits from media outlets from Missouri and around the world. Follow the headline link for the full story. The source of this headline says:

Jackson County announced the first of two phases of the Rock Island Rail Corridor recreational trail would open by the end of the November 2018 with the second phase to be completed by the end of this year.

Now, the county is facing a mediation with nearby landowners after the Federal Surface Transportation Board questioned the county's honesty about how the land was acquired earlier this month.

The landowners have lawsuits pending against the county in both the United States Court of Federal Claims and Missouri State Court.

They want the county to either return their property used for an easement for the Union Pacific Railroad or to pay them for it.

The area in question is 17.7 miles of rail line and the surrounding area, which Jackson County purchased from the Union Pacific Railroad following an agreement in 2015.

Link: 

Phase I of Jackson County portion of Rock Island Trail near opening but subject of landowner lawsuit (Capitol Day Apr 23rd!) | KSHB

MoBikeFed comment: The KSHB article suggests the 17.7 mile Jackson County portion of the Rock Island Trail is "in jeopardy".

But it is unlikely the trail or corridor is truly "in jeopardy". Rather, discussions are ongoing about compensation of adjoining landowners for use of the corridor, given the way this portion of the corridor was acquired.

Landowners and the Rock Island Corridor Authority are very likely to arrive at an agreement satisfactory to both sides--in time.

STATUS OF ROCK ISLAND TRAIL SEGMENTS

This is the westernmost section of the Rock Island corridor nearest Kansas City. This section is under construction, and will connect the Truman Sports Complex through portions of Kansas City, Raytown, and Lee's Summit to near Greenwood.

There the trail will (eventually!) connect to Pleasant Hills MOPAC Trail and the Missouri State Parks "Rock Island Spur" of the Katy Trail State Park. This proceeds 47 miles to join the Katy Trail at Windsor. This section has been open since December 2016.

The next section of the Rock Island Corridor is the 144 miles between Windsor and Washington, MO--the section Ameren has agreed to donate to State Parks, and State Parks has been considering for about three years.

This year, bills have been introduced in the Missouri House and Senate to support State Parks acquisition of the 144 mile Rock Island Trail section.

We'll be discussing this at Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Trails Day at the Capitol April 23rd, 2019.

Hope you can join us!

Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Trails Day at the Capitol
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2019
Jefferson City, Missouri

Topics: Rock Island Trail, distracted driving, roadway safety, and more

Register to join us or find out more here:
http://mobikefed.org/2019/03/join-us-13th-annual-bicycle-pedestrian-and-...