Keep new promise to build vital Katy Trail link in Kansas City area
Kansas City area residents just got an encouraging and long-awaited pledge from Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon: A vital local link to the scenic, rolling Katy Trail will be finished by late 2016.
Longtime advocates of the 47.5-mile extension — from Pleasant Hill to Windsor — praised the recent announcement.
“It’s good news that we have an actual commitment out of the governor’s mouth,” said Brent Hugh, executive director of the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation.
The well-organized biking community can be counted on to keep track of the progress — or lack of it — that Missouri State Parks officials make in keeping Nixon’s promise.
The governor correctly pointed out that these trails reap economic benefits for Missouri towns while benefiting active people all year round.
The Pleasant Hill to Windsor link, Nixon noted, will “provide Missourians and visitors alike with an outstanding opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the Show-Me State.”
Those aren’t empty words, as anyone who has enjoyed biking, hiking or running along the Katy Trail can attest.
The new link will be a great addition to the trail, providing a smooth and often-level pathway for people to use where railroad tracks used to be. The utility giant Ameren is ripping out those tracks as part of an agreement with state officials, making it possible for Missouri to install the new portion of the trail.
In the future, Jackson County leaders hope to raise the money needed to buy property from the Union Pacific Railroad so a trail can be built from near the Truman Sports Complex out to Pleasant Hill. That would make it more convenient for additional Kansas City area residents to get to the Katy Trail.
Ultimately, the state hopes to complete the Rock Island Trail, which would go across mid-Missouri, getting close to the St. Louis area.
Those dreams will take more time and money to accomplish. For now, we’re counting on the meaningful progress that Nixon has promised will be made on a crucial part of the Katy Trail.
This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Keep new promise to build vital Katy Trail link in Kansas City area."