The Columbia Parks and Recreation Department held a meeting asking for public opinion Thursday regarding closing a section of the MKT Nature and Fitness Trail for reconstruction of Bridge 9.
The project is set to begin in November and is expected to be completed near the end of March 2027, weather permitting. The bridge construction is estimated to cost $550,000.
The section of the trail is located near mile marker seven, northeast of the entrance to the MizzouRec and Hinkson Creek trails. The proposed bridge will include an HS-20 load rating, which allows for heavy vehicles.
“Bridge 9, as it is, is perfectly safe for pedestrians and cyclists to cross,” said Janet Godon, a city park planner.
“We are replacing it because the substructure needs to also be able to support emergency medical services and our heavier maintenance vehicles so that we can maintain the trail up to the standards our community expects,” she said
The original MKT bridges, like Bridge 9, are 120 years old and were originally purposed as railway corridor bridges. Bridge 9’s new steel design will resemble other newer bridges on the MKT, such as Bridge 8 and Bridge 7.
Trail users should anticipate intermittent closures near the bridge’s construction. Pedestrian accommodations include a single-path nature trail, which will cross the Flat Branch Creek.
Cyclists will need to commute using the MizzouRec Trail and the Hinkson Creek Trail to travel between MKT Bridge 10 and MU campus. An on-road route is available through the Forum-Katy Parkway Connector and on Stadium Boulevard.
Alternatively, cyclists can also dismount their bicycles and walk the pedestrian bypass route. Cyclists can not ride on the bypass trail due to trail-width restrictions.
“As a daily trail user, including the MKT Trail, I am completely empathetic with our trail users being concerned with the MKT Trail being closed in that location,” Godon said.
“That’s why we did our due diligence in planning for this project to be in the dead of winter when the trail is used less,” she said. “We feel it’s going to be expedited because we won’t have to continually open and close the trail.”
Construction updates and full trail closures will be posted on Columbia Park and Recreation’s social media accounts, with these posts serving to efficiently provide the public more information, Godon said.
