This popular Northland trail once diverted onto sidewalks. Now it connects two parks
Pedestrians and cyclists can now cruise safely through a Northland trail after years spent facing heavy traffic and dangerous sidewalks due to a break in the path.
A 1,500-foot portion of trail was recently added to the Line Creek Trail, which runs through Kansas City and Riverside, to address a gap in the route and create a safer path for pedestrians, who can now remain on a scenic route throughout the entirety of the trail.
“We’ve had the Line Creek Trail as a regional trail in Riverside for many years, but we’ve had a short section on Vivian Road and Northwest Gateway where cyclists or pedestrians would need to kind of divert off the trail and use sidewalks,” said Noel Bennion, Capital Projects and Parks Manager for the City of Riverside. “So we’ve been looking for a while at trying to continue the trail away from traffic and away from the street.”
Where the new section of Line Creek Trail goes
The new sector starts at the current end of the trail near NW St. Joe Boulevard and extends to N Mulberry Drive, according to Kansas City officials. The project was completed as part of a collaboration between Kansas City, Riverside and the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Built on land owned by Riverside, the new trail not only follows a “really nice” stretch of land full of trees along Line Creek, but it also connects two city parks in Riverside: Homestead Park and Renner Brenner Park.
“I think people who utilize that trail, either from one side of it to the other, they’re going to love it,” Rose said. “It provides them easy access, safety and beauty all the way through without a skip in the connection now.”
