Raytown's Main Street Association, with members on the Rock Island Corridor Coalition, is identifying the potential held within the Rock Island Railroad corridor through Raytown, hoping for the day it will connect with the statewide KATY Trail system. This video is a "before and after" visualization of Rock Island trail development within Raytown's city limits progressing from southeast to northwest. The tour will take you from Wildwood Lakes on the south, to 59th Street on the north spanning approximately one and a half miles of trail within Raytown's boundaries.
Completing the approximate 23 mile Rock Island portion of the system from Pleasant Hill to Kansas City at the Truman Sports complex will complete the connection of St. Louis, on the eastern border of Missouri, with Kansas City on the west; thrilling trail enthusiasts with over 300 miles of contiguous non-motorized recreational trail.
The KATY Trail has had a significant economic impact for the state of Missouri and local businesses, producing annual revenue in excess of 300% more than the trail's original construction cost ($18mil/annually vs. $6mil initial construction according to a 2012 economic impact study by Missouri State Parks).
The development of the Rock Island corridor connection through the communities of Pleasant Hill, Greenwood, Lee's Summit, Raytown and Kansas City is set to provide the same economic benefit, boosting local economies, creating jobs and generating revenue for private businesses and public use. The connection will establish a convenient, healthy, inter-city transportation connection between communities and to the Chiefs and Royals stadiums for thousands of users annually. Who wouldn't love to ditch the long lines and parking congestion to go catch a game?
While the land within the Rock Island corridor is now in the hands of Jackson County, Missouri, there is still much to be decided before the dream that started in the late 1970's becomes a reality for the Kansas City metro area.
Those who are proponents of the rail/trail conversion must get and stay active and vocal, keeping the momentum going. You can do this by attending public meetings, writing to your local government representatives and speaking up on social media. We'd be honored if you would share this visualization video with your comments on your social feeds.
Landgenuity is honored to be a part of this project.
Want to know more?
Check out the recent 41 Action News report on YouTube. (https://youtu.be/wwoqVPf_b9U)
Sources:
http://mobikefed.org/2013/03/katy-trail-186-million-annual-economic-impact-according-new-missouri-state-parks-study
http://www.marc.org/Environment/MetroGreen-Parks/Current-Projects/Katy-Trail-connection
http://www.bikekatytrail.com/default.aspx