Trails

[jmc]

Hey everyone,
What's the status on the trails in the Northland? We've got crap for bike access in the northland and I've seen a plan out there on some websites(here: http://www.co.platte.mo.us/northlandtrails/ and here: http://www.northlandtrails.org), but nothing recently.  It looks like they've build sidewalks on both sides of Antioch (north of Vivion) and I see the bike path near N. Oak and Vivion, but when are they going to connect all of this so it's more than just trail segments?

[KC_Hams]

Here's an update on the Line Creek Trail:
http://suntrib.com/200911127041/news/ka ... plete.html

Riverside Parks and Recreation Trail System
http://www.riversidemo.com/cityServices ... trails.cfm

Smithville Lake Trails
http://www.claycogov.com/county/departm ... tatus.html

[im2kull]

There's a fairly good biking/jogging trail in Kearney.  I believe it doesn't really lead anywhere, just kinda circles the city, but eh..its good for exercise.

[dangerboy]

The Northland trail plan is in the same situation as that south of the river.  Without a dedicated funding source, the city has to rely on grants.  Trails are getting developed incrementally as funds are available. 

Johnson County has a dedicated property tax, so that is how they have such an extensive trail system.  It's a harder sell in Missouri where we have stronger anti-tax crowd.  Platte does have a dedicated parks sales tax, but it's a small county and only part of it goes to trails.

The NW 64th trail will be extended west when the road is widened, and extended east to hookup with the new 64/68th connector. 

The Line Creek Trail will eventually go from the Missouri River in Riverside to Smithville Lake, but the build-out will be incremental. 

The Vivion Trail will eventually be extended east, but at the moment the city is working on some engineering issues with utilities and easements on the east end.

The Riverside Levee Trail will eventually extend west to Parkville and up to Weston.  Right now they are working to get access along the railroad east of English Landing Park.

[janda]

I thought if you owned a bike, you were required by law to wait until dusk, then drive your bicycle  (strapped to your car, of course) to the downtown airport, throw on some dark clothes, then proceed to ride in the opposite direction of traffic.

[jmc]

Janda,

Sorry, was I not supposed to do that?

[jmc]

Thanks for the links everyone.  DangerBoy, how do you know so much about trails in the Northland?  And I wonder if the population growth in Clay will allow them to make it a tax so they don't have to rely on grants.

[dangerboy]

Actually, Clay County does have a use tax that goes to trails, but so far they have spent it all on the paved trails around Smithville Lake.  The county has yet to spend their funds on any trail that connect things like housing, jobs, shops, schools, etc. 

(A use tax is levied on goods and services bought outside the county, and is primarily paid by businesses.)

[jmc]

Dangerboy, it's hard for me to complain about them spending up in Smithville because I really like those trails.  On the other hand, it's a 30 minute drive up there so I can't use them as much as I would like.  It would be nice to have something closer to the river.

[im2kull]

It would be nice to have something closer to the river.

There was a plan a year or two ago to form some big park and upgrade/build new trails all around the southern most end of North Brighton and extend them to the river.  Anyone else remember this?  My memory is kinda faded on the subject, but so it could be something else that I'm thinking of..but I remember some big project the Parks Board was wanting to get done around the time that the whole Minuteman debate started.

[Hurst]

Trails are also being added to alot of new roads going in. Shoal Creek Parkway is a good example.  New improvements to SCP all the way north to N.E. 96th Street have trail and they are hopefully going to go from that round-about all the way west to I-435 in 2010 and there will be a 10' trail on one side - there is also trail going in along the new N. Eastern Avenue north of the same round-about - so lots of new trail for the SC area.  Jade Liska is leading the charge for trails at the city.

[im2kull]

Trails are also being added to alot of new roads going in. Shoal Creek Parkway is a good example.  New improvements to SCP all the way north to N.E. 96th Street have trail and they are hopefully going to go from that round-about all the way west to I-435 in 2010 and there will be a 10' trail on one side - there is also trail going in along the new N. Eastern Avenue north of the same round-about - so lots of new trail for the SC area.  Jade Liska is leading the charge for trails at the city.

The city has a thorough development plan for the northland regarding construction of Parkways.  There's a map around here somewhere...hmm..

Here's the compressed & resized version that I have saved online..the original map is a HQ map in a PDF somewhere out there..

Everything Green is a parkway, and worth noting is that SC parkway will run parallel to 152 for quite some distance...kinda like a Barry Rd North of 152.

[KCMax]

TRAILS: Pathfinders take the bearing of Northland trails

[flyingember]

so it's 3.5 years later so why not a status update? the trail networks are coming along nicely in the northland

money still remains a problem. Luckily there's an actual bicyclist, Wes Minder, working on grants and doing a good job at getting segments funded. He actually understands where the northland needs bicycle facilities.

the flintlock flyover gave a key I-35 crossing. The new 291 bridge has a much wider crossing and there's money requests for a new 152 bridge with pedestrian improvements. Even the Pleasant Valley I-35 rebuild will have better pedestrian access. the Liberty side of the flintlock trail goes all the way to Withers road so when 76th gets trails it will connect towards N. Antioch into the Liberty system that's also slowly growing, they have a spur for a future extension along Liberty Drive from flintlock

Line Creek Trail is nearly complete from 152 to the river. there's one gap at Riverside. the last middle segment is under construction.
One branch on 64th is nearly complete all the way past Riss Lake, there's one gap left there
Another branch takes you all the way to Briarcliff Village

The 152 trail is in the works. there's segments planned and needing funding that would get it almost to Happy Rock Park on one side and Tiffany Springs and eventually following I-29 to Platte City

The Shoal Creek trail goes from 108th to almost I-435. it has braches reaching multiple directions as roads are improved for future development

compared to 4 years ago the various northland trails are way closer to becoming an actual network. I look forward to the day there's actual loops. With loops we'll start to see self-contained bike trips become possible.

the key areas to get focus needed on is trails through Gladstone. would be a good place for some MARC coordination. Bike facilities intersecting and intersecting N. Oak and N. Antioch could help promote transit use and lead towards future transit improvements. Whole picture networks are the future.

[flyingember]

fun fact:
you can run/bike on a piece of the original interurban near Liberty.
It's the Withers to Canterbury segment)
https://www.google.com/maps/preview?saf ... JIBEPwSMAs

Liberty also just opened a new segment of trail. they converted an old road into another part of the Cates Creek Greenway (291 parallel). This gives a trail from basically the southern city limits where the old river bed is to the Jefferson Park apartments

[kigmee]

Liberty also just opened a new segment of trail. they converted an old road into another part of the Cates Creek Greenway (291 parallel). This gives a trail from basically the southern city limits where the old river bed is to the Jefferson Park apartments

For recreational uses only. The road is very hilly and the southern terminus is blocked off even across the shoulders. I can step across the jersey barriers, but if you're rocking a loaded touring rig, better take the adjacent (and level) M291 highway. It is good for recreation, though - I saw 5 bald eagles soaring over the bluffs this spring while I was jogging on this road, soon after they closed it.

Liberty's trails, are, for the most part, not for transportation. The Cates Creek Greenway, for example, between M291 and Southview Drive (both of which are fairly flat) manages to have a lot of elevation changes.