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The Complete the Katy Trail project that I had written about some months ago in Complete the Katy Trail finally got a leg up and the authorization to use the Rock Island rail line.
The Kansas City Star reported on Wednesday that a settlement had finally been reached with AmerenUE for the 2005 Taum Sauk Reservoir collapse.
AmerenUE owns the Rock Island line, a section of unused rail line that runs between Windsor and Pleasant Hill. Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon filed the lawsuit against AmerenUE to make reparations for the dam collapse that destroyed the Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park.
AmerenUE is also giving the State of Missouri $18 million to start work on the trail project and the first right to purchase the land if AmerenUE should decide to sell it off.
I think this will be very good for the Katy Trail and bicycling overall in Missouri. I also think this will be detrimental to Katy Trail use and the associated tourism for Clinton and all of the other towns between Clinton and Windsor.
If riders coming from the East have the option of going on towards Kansas City and larger towns or going to Clinton I think most will ride on towards Kansas City. Clinton will have to have something to offer to the tourists.
I think many local riders will still go to Clinton from time to time but the out of state or Eastern Missouri rider may not.
It will be up to the people in Clinton to create an attraction to get riders to go their way. Great Bed and Breakfasts or some other reason for riders to choose Clinton as their destination.
Do you think the new section of trail will be bad for Clinton? Please share your thoughts by commenting.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Eric 12.01.07 at 12:42 pm
Hopefully Clinton has been preparing for this day, since they surely advance warning that this was planned for years.
I think Clinton could be come a popular destination for folks from here in KC who want a shorter 2-3 day trip out and back on this end of the trail.
There is also a huge opportunity in the future for a trail on the old Frisco Highline to Springfield. This would be put Clinton right in the middle of a KC-Springfield-Branson trail that could be very popular. But Clinton and other towns on the route would have to start pushing for it…
Bradly Fletchall 12.01.07 at 3:03 pm
Eric - That does make a lot of sense. I hadn’t really thought about it being a good route for the riders coming from KC.
I also didn’t know about the unused line that goes to Spingfield. Hopefully MoBikeFed will get on that now like they did the Rock Island segment.
I think having as many trail connecting points as possible is a very good thing. It could do a lot for tourism in Missouri and promote a healthy lifestyle all over the state
Travis 12.04.07 at 8:59 am
The largest rails to trails program in the US is good for the biking community as a whole and will continue to be benefit to Clinton. This addition just gives people from many areas of the state to start from and end. Individuals from the KC area will now have an opportunity to travel to many towns along the trail leaving $$ in various businesses along the way. Clinton will benefit as well by having a new section of the state having access to their town and their services. So let’s all welcome Pleasant Hill and all towns in between to the Katy Trail and the bicyling community.
See you on the trail.
Travis