Gov. Jay Nixon and Ameren announced Wednesday a 144-mile stretch of the former Rock Island line from Windsor to Beaufort is on track to be transferred to the state of Missouri by the end of 2017 for future development as a hiking and biking trail.
"The Rock Island rail line is a tremendous opportunity to create a world-class hiking and biking trail for Missouri that will boost tourism and stimulate economic development for communities along the line," Michael Moehn, president of Ameren Missouri, said in a news release from Nixon's office. "As a community partner in the transformation of the line, we have been working for years to complete vegetation and salvage efforts and aim to transfer the property to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in 2017."
The Rock Island rail line has not been in operation for more than two decades and was purchased by Ameren in 1999. Operations to remove and salvage rail from the line are expected to be complete by the end of 2017, at which point the property will be transferred to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR), according to the news release.
In late 2017, the corridor will be rail-banked under the Rails to Trails laws, and Ameren will donate its interest to Missouri State Parks, said Greg Harris, executive director of Missouri Rock Island Trail. MoRIT is an organization assisting Ameren's Missouri Central Railroad to Missouri State Parks, working to accelerate trail development and helping communities to maximize their benefits.
Harris said the corridor will be
functional immediately as a primitive trail in areas where there are no bridges or other hazards. Conversion to the higher standard of the Katy Trail will occur as public and private funding are available, he said.
"This new trail will bolster Missouri's position as the nation's premier hiking and biking destination - and strengthen local economies all along its path," Nixon said in the news release.
Deconstruction of the Rock Island Railroad continues in western Missouri, making way for a 144-mile trail that would potentially join Kansas City and St. Louis.
On Dec. 10, Nixon opened 47.5 miles of trail between Pleasant Hill and Windsor along the Rock Island spur of the Katy Trail State Park, enabling hikers and bicyclists to travel cross-state from the Kansas City area all the way to the St. Louis area along the 240-mile Katy Trail. The now-open Rock Island spur has trailheads at Leeton, Chilhowee and Medford, allowing riders and hikers to explore Missouri's rural history traveling through these and other small towns, according to Missouri State Parks.
Owensville, located in Gasconade County west of Linn, wants to construct 3 miles of trail in 2017. Owensville representatives are discussing an interim agreement with Ameren for the trail's construction.
Harris said the completed trail will provide a safe route to school by passing under Missouri 19. It will also provide a safe alternative to Missouri 28 for students to walk or bicycle to school from many miles to the east.
"There is increasing excitement in the trail towns as the salvage is already half completed," Harris said. "Places like Owensville, where the tracks and ties are nearly all removed, see the transportation opportunities the trail will provide across town and alongside their main highway. It would be quite usable now as a primitive trail if that was allowed."
Belle residents, city officials and a trail committee have been working toward trail development since 2013, according to MoRIT. A mile of right of way through Belle will become a trail in coming months.
"They were awarded a (Recreational Trails Program) grant to build a trail alongside of the rails before Ameren's Missouri Central Railroad (MCRR) was considering donating the corridor to Missouri State Parks," Harris said, noting the RTP grant funds 80 percent of the project with the remaining 20 percent coming from a local match by city personnel and equipment.
The Belle portion of the trail, located in Osage and Maries counties north of Rolla, will be built to DNR specifications this winter. The owner of the corridor, a railroad subsidiary of Ameren electric company, will hand the property over to DNR following clearing of the rails under the national Rails-to-Trails Act, according to the news release.
MoRIT helped broker a special agreement with Ameren to transfer interim responsibility for the corridor to the city, speeding construction a year or more. Harris said Belle plans to renovate its former MFA as a welcome center, with wraparound decking and other inviting spaces.
Eldon is requesting an agreement to maintain the 3 miles of rail corridor and wants to allow its use as a primitive trail, Harris said. In 2012, citizens in Eldon organized the Eldon Task Force and obtained permission from MCRR to build a trail next to the railroad bed. Volunteers removed 110 loads of trash and vegetation from the 3-mile corridor within Eldon city limits in preparation for the trail.
"Eldon has been given $150,000 in matching money for the renovation of its former railroad depot to be a welcome center, museum and offices for its chamber of commerce. The depot will be located on the Rock Island Trail at the front door of downtown Eldon and near its community center," Harris said. "Lake Regional Health Center is developing an outpatient care facility next to the trail, and a former manufacturing facility is being renovated as a senior care center. Both of those health care facilities were located to take advantage of the trail as a new community asset for transportation and exercise for their patients."
Other discussions include creating a regional trail network in St. Louis with the corridor, Katy Trail to the west at Washington, and using the new Missouri 47 Bridge over the Missouri River that is bike-friendly. Harris said Springfield also wants to connect its 35-mile Frisco Highline Trail that ends at Bolivar to the Rock Island Trail, which will include Warsaw and end at Cole Camp.
He also said Jefferson City is discussing ways to connect the Katy and Rock Island trails at Eugene or Eldon.