A Link to the Katy Trail

A Link to the Katy Trail - The Missourian: Editorials

Posted: Saturday, September 22, 2012 5:00 pm

We don’t know if the present proposal for a Washington link to the Katy Trail in Warren County will be successful, but someday there will be one. A bike/pedestrian link from the Washington bridge to the Katy Trail has been a discussion item for a long time.

A grant application for such a link will be submitted by District 3 of the Missouri Department of Transportation. Warren County is in District 3.

The cost estimate is $500,000 for a 10-foot-wide trail along Highway 47 from the Washington bridge to Dutzow. It would be separate from the highway.

The timing for this proposed trail is right since the new Washington bridge over the Missouri River will have a bike/pedestrian structure.

A total of $1.45 million in grant funds is available to the Northeast District, which includes Lincoln, Montgomery and Warren counties. It would be a cost-sharing project, with 20 percent to come from the Northeast District of MoDOT. The city of Washington may consider a financial contribution, which would give strength to the application. Letters of support will be sought from Washington boards and organizations.

Bike/pedestrian trails are popular. This project would draw more visitors to Washington from the Katy Trail. The link would benefit both Washington and the thousands of Katy Trail users who are on the trail annually.

Along with this, if a section of the old Washington bridge could be retained as a “lookout on the river” for people, it would be an added benefit. It could be on either side of the river.