Pleasant Hill, MO— A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official beginning of the Rock Island Trail-Katy Connector project from Windsor to Pleasant Hill, which connects the Katy Trail to the Kansas City area.
"Connecting the Katy Trail to the Kansas City area has been a longtime goal for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and for the cycling community, and it is gratifying to see that this project is moving forward," said Doyle Childers, department director. "Having a trail connecting the two major metropolitan centers will enhance recognition for Missouri and be an economic boost."
Missouri Governor Matt Blunt and the Department of Natural Resources secured through the Ameren Taum Sauk settlement a perpetual license to build a trail that will connect the Katy Trail from Windsor to Pleasant Hill, which will result in linking the Katy Trail from St. Louis to Kansas City. The state will receive $18 million for construction of the Katy Trail to Kansas City.
The 225-mile-long Katy Trail has the distinction of being the longest developed rail-to-trail conversion project in the nation. It is estimated that approximately 350,000 people annually use the trail, which runs from St. Charles to Clinton.
