Our view: Well done, Joplin Trails Coalition, on recent 2.5-mile addition to Ruby Jack Trail | joplinglobe.com

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If you're a runner, walker or cyclist looking for a safe place to exercise or needing a new bit of green space to break up your routine, the Joplin Trails Coalition has your answer.

It just opened a 2.5-mile addition to the Ruby Jack Trail, and it's fantastic.

The organization and the volunteers who helped make this happen deserve our thanks for their vision and hard work. More and more communities see the benefits of these kinds of assets, which appeal to businesses wanting to relocate as well as people who increasingly work remotely and want liveable communities.

The completed stretch runs from just west of County Road 240 to Missouri Highway 171. What's great about this new section is that it passes under Missouri Highway 43, creating a two-mile stretch — or a four-mile roundtrip — so runners, walkers and children don't have to worry about traffic. . . .

The long-term vision also includes connecting the Ruby Jack to the Frisco Greenway, which currently ends in Webb City. Do that, and many of the communities in Jasper County — Joplin, Webb City, Carl Junction, Oronogo and Carthage — would be connected by a network of 25-30 miles.

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Our view: Well done, Joplin Trails Coalition, on recent 2.5-mile addition to Ruby Jack Trail | joplinglobe.com

MoBikeFed comment: Over the years, the Joplin Trails Coalition has been one of the most effective trails groups in the Midwest, adding section after section to the region's trail network.

This kind of sustained work is especially difficult to pull off in a community the size of Joplin, which is just a little smaller than cities like Kansas City, St Louis, Columbia, and Springfield where we more often see organized advocacy groups working over the long term.

So many kudos to the Joplin Trails Coalition and best wishes for completing all of their future plans!

Find out more or join at joplintrailscoalition.org