Kansas Trail News for November 8, 2010 from Sunflower Recreational Trails:
Wichita and KC Bike Lanes Open
Two bike lanes in Wichita have opened: “Both the First and Second Street bike lanes are now complete from the Canal bike path (I-135) to Edgemoor Street. First Street is one-way East and Second Street one-way.”
Also, according to the KC Star (11-06-10), two bike lanes opened on the Chouteau Bridge over the Missouri River in Kansas City. Last month lanes opened on the Heart of America Bridge.
Grant For Blue River Rail-Trail Received
Steve O’Neal with Marshall County Connections reports that his organization has received a $15,000 matching grant from the Sunflower Foundation to be used to build another section of the Blue River Rail-Trail which stretches from Marysville to the Nebraska State Line. O’Neal says, “With this award, we hope to complete the section north between Harvest Road and Marietta which is about four miles.”
Kanza Annual Meeting This Saturday
The 2010 Annual Meeting of Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy will be held this Saturday, November 13, 2010. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m., lunch will be served at 12:00 noon. At 1:00 p.m. the meeting will begin with the President’s remarks, division reports, and election of board members. Dinner is $10.00 per person and will feature chicken or ham with potato and a trip through the salad bar. All trails supporters and advocates are invited to attend. RSVP at info@kanzatrails.org.
The meeting will be held in the basement of Lamont Hill which is on the south side of Pomona Lake as you enter Pomona State Park (K-368). All attendees will receive a 2010 KRTC t-shirt and window decal. Around 3:00 p.m., attendees will adjourn to enjoy the Flint Hills Nature Trail’s autumn beauty.
Sinkhole On Trolley Track Trail Blocks Trail
A sinkhole in Kansas City’s Trolley Track Trail has blocked trail access between Troost and Woodlawn Ave. The hole could be the result of an abandoned mining operation. Testing for other sinkhole possibilities is underway. The rail-trail follows the old Country Club Trolley Line (KC Star 11-06-10).
Governor-Elect Brownback Supports Trail Through Flint Hills
Governor-elect Sam Brownback remarked on the radio recently that the State of Kansas needs to partner with private groups to create a 100-mile trail that runs through the Flint Hills connecting towns like Council Grove with other communities large and small. It is unclear if he means the Flint Hills Nature Trail now under development by Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy or an equestrian trail proposed by a K-State professor Tom Warner. Warner believes a private horse trail system would provide increased opportunities for people to experience the Flint Hills and it would also be good for ranchers. The riders would be supervised by the ranchers. It is also unclear what kind of help Governor-elect Brownback has in mind.
Redbud Trail Construction Starts
Construction has started on the Redbud Trail from the Big Ditch at I-135 east for one-half mile. A 10-foot-wide concrete path is being constructed. This ten-mile railbanked BNSF rail corridor stretches to Andover. Larry Ross with Prairie Travelers, Inc. envisions a trailhead on a vacant tract adjacent to the trail corridor but this would first have to be acquired.
Kansas Trail News is published monthly by Clark H. Coan, Public Information Specialist for Sunflower Recreational Trails, P.O. Box 44-2043, Lawrence, KS 66044, 785-842-3458. Reprinted with permission. If you have any trail news you’d like to share, please contact us.Post tags: Kansas Trail News
