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Rock Island Trail Gets Option To Raise Money, But No State Funds

The overgrown rail line and tunnel under U.S. 63 in Freeburg is part of the Rock Island Trail that now has a mechanism to receive funds for upgrade.
Jonathan Ahl | St. Louis Public Radio
The overgrown rail line and tunnel under U.S. 63 in Freeburg is part of the Rock Island Trail that now has a mechanism to receive funds for upgrade.

A bill before Gov. Mike Parson would set up a fund to accept donations and grants to develop the 144-mile former Rock Island rail line as a recreational trail.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources would manage the fund, but there will be no state money committed to the project.

Greg Harris, executive director of the Missouri Rock Island Trail, Inc. advocacy group, said even without state dollars, the fund is important.

“It sends a message to everyone that this is what the state wants,” Harris said.

Ameren owns the rail line that extends from Windsor, about 90 miles southeast of Kansas City, to Beaufort, 60 miles west of St. Louis. The company is in the process of giving the land to the state. Both sides are working on an agreement they say should be in place by the time the Surface Transportation Board would need to approve the transfer in August.

A big stumbling block to fully converting the rail line to a trail is cost. The path has numerous tunnels and bridges that may need repairs or be replaced.

“The cost of developing the corridor is high,” said Mike Sutherland, deputy director of Missouri State Parks. “We are not going to take away from the rest of the system to develop one project — because we have great state parks throughout the state.”

But Sutherland said the endowment fund will make it possible to raise money.

“We have a place to put funds, and a mandate from the Legislature that this is something they want to see happen,” Sutherland said.Loading...

The state estimates converting the rail line to a trail could cost up to $85 million dollars. Plus annual maintenance of $500,000 a year.Loading...

But Harris said those numbers are misleading and the trail can be developed in pieces, starting immediately with towns that have been waiting for some commitment from the state before moving forward.

“It goes where people want to go. In many cases, it runs right along the main highway in the town,” Harris said. “That’s true in Eldon, Owensville, other cities.”

“We’ve seen what this trail can do economically, already. We want to get portions of it up and going as soon as possible,” Harris added. “Every day the trail isn’t open, is a day someone can’t stay at Rock Island Trail Bed and Breakfast in Rosebud. Or to go to the Krooked Moon Distillery in Owensville.”

Harris said his group has $600,000 in pledges toward the project, and that money can be put to work to start opening parts of the trail.

Follow Jonathan on Twitter: @Jonathan Ahl

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Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Jonathan Ahl joined Iowa Public Radio as News Director in July 2008. He leads the news and talk show teams in field reporting, feature reporting, audio documentaries, and talk show content. With more than 17 years in public media, Jonathan is a nationally award-winning reporter that has worked at public radio stations in Macomb, Springfield and Peoria, IL. He served WCBU-FM in Peoria as news director before coming to Iowa. He also served as a part-time instructor at Bradley University teaching journalism and writing courses. Jonathan is currently serving a second term as president of PRNDI ââ
Jonathan Ahl
Jonathan Ahl reports from the Rolla Bureau for St. Louis Public Radio. His duties also include covering central and southern Missouri for Harvest Public Media. Before coming to St. Louis Public Radio in November of 2018, Jonathan was the General Manager for Tri States Public Radio in Macomb, Illinois. He previously was the News Director at Iowa Public Radio and before that at WCBU in Peoria, Illinois. Jonathan has also held reporting positions in central Illinois for public radio stations. Jonathan is originally from the Chicago area. He has a B.A. in Music Theory and Composition from Western Illinois University and an M.A. in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield. He is an avid long distance runner, semi-professional saxophonist and die-hard Chicago Cubs fan.