Department of Natural Resources will announce decision on Rock Island Line Corridor Interim Trail Agreement Dec. 17 at 2pm in Eldon

• Rock Island Trail Corridor Announcement
  2 p.m. Dec. 17, 2019
  Rock Island Park, East 8th Street, Eldon, Missouri.
  In case of inclement weather: Eldon Community Center, 309 East 2nd Street

Will Missouri State Parks be able to accept and manage the 144-mile Rock Island corridor?

If State Parks has found a way to deal with issues in accepting the corridor--primarily identified by state parks leaders as financial concerns regarding state parks' ability to manage and staff the corridor in coming years--they may announce that they are ready to sign the agreement.  In that case, the corridor will develop into the Rock Island Trail State Park over the next years and decades.

If they have been unable to reach an agreement and find a funding source to accept and to develop the corridor, we'll be back to square one--looking for another agency or organization able to take on the 144-mile corridor.

Missouri Division of Natural Resources media advisory about Tuesday's public announcement

The Department of Natural Resources media advisory:

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, Dec. 16, 2019 – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources will make a public announcement about whether it will sign an Interim Trail Use Agreement with Missouri Central Railroad Company, a subsidiary of Ameren Missouri, to railbank 144 miles of the former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad corridor, which stretches from Windsor to Beaufort, Missouri.

The announcement will be made during a special outdoor event beginning at 2 p.m. Dec. 17, at the Rock Island Park, East 8th Street, Eldon, Missouri. In case of inclement weather, the event will be moved to Eldon Community Center, 309 East 2nd Street.

Also participating in the announcement event will be representatives from the Missouri Central Railroad Company, Ameren Missouri, the Missouri State Parks Foundation and other state and local officials.

A media availability session will be held immediately after the event, during which department, Ameren and other representatives will be on hand to answer questions and provide one-on-one interviews. 

One of the top goals of MoBikeFed's Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri is building a world-class bicycle and pedestrian transportation system in Missouri.  The addition of the Rock Island Trail to Missouri's statewide trail system is potentially the biggest single advance we have seen in Missouri in over 20 years.

Your membership and generous financial contributions help turn our Vision into reality--building the statewide public support for bicycling, walking, and trails that make major advances like the Rock Island Trail possible.