For a second year, hopes of creating a Rock Island Trail across Missouri for cyclists and hikers may have hit an impassable obstacle.
The trail has hit some rocky patches to this point, and it faces a tough funding hill that would leave any cyclist or hiker breathless.
The state is missing an opportunity to inject a little energy into the trail, a project supporters hope would benefit the economies of those small towns along that corridor, as well as tourism across the state.
The Rock Island Trail is proposed to be 144 miles long, stretching across Missouri from Kansas City to the Ozarks, using a former rail bed obtained by the state in 2021. The corridor passes through several Mid-Missouri cities, such as Versailles, Eldon, Eugene, Meta, Argyle, Freeburg, Belle and Bland.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) accepted ownership of the corridor in December 2021 after the Missouri Central Railroad Company, a subsidiary of Ameren Missouri, donated its right, title and interest in the corridor to to the state.
For years, trail proponents have lobbied for the state to acquire the rail corridor, seeing it as a complement to the Katy Trail State Park.
Construction of the 240-mile-long Katy Trail began in 1987, and the first section of the recreational pathway was opened three years later in Rocheport. Similar to the development and construction of the Katy Trail, the Rock Island Corridor would be developed in different sections over several years.
Last year, Gov. Mike Parson earmarked $69 million in the fiscal year 2023 budget to begin construction on about half of the Rock Island Trail.
"By investing $69 million to start construction on the Rock Island Trail, we can help establish the largest circular rail-to-trail network in the United States and a world-class, one of-a-kind destination for travelers coming to Missouri ... while also supporting businesses and creating jobs," Parson said in his 2022 State of the State address.
That funding would have made improvements to about 70 miles of the trail between Eugene and Beaufort. But the funding was ultimately cut in the final budget approved by the Senate.
With a new year came new hope. Unfortunately, the hope was short-lived.
This week, Parson said he hasn't heard of any movement on the trail this legislative session.
Asked if he knew of any legislators advocating for it, Parson said, "I just really haven't. I mean, we've got a lot going on working on the infrastructure and workforce development pieces. I just haven't heard much about it this year."
He said he doesn't know if it will be included in the budget this year.
Based on the testimony of the Office of Administration budget director, it likely won't.
"We're still hoping to hear conversations about it (the trail)," budget director Dan Haug told a House budget committee last week. "But at this point, we don't see a clear path forward. We just didn't feel comfortable putting it in this budget."
Some landowners and businesses have raised concerns about the impact of the trail on property rights. But a February ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals in February dictated that landowners along the proposed trail should be compensated for the use of the former railroad easement land.
The decision stated the railroad ceased operations decades ago, and the rails and ties were removed. Because of this, the court decided, there is no potential for future railroad use and the landowners should receive just compensation for the use of the land.
So the compensation of the landowners has been addressed.
And other funding efforts have been under way to keep the trail campaign going.
People in communities along the trail, including Owensville and Eldon, have gotten grant funding at the local level to develop their sections of the trail. DNR also recently received a $2.7 million grant to develop the trail.
But success of the project will largely fall to participation of the state.
A common refrain this legislative season has been to dip into the $6 billion surplus only for transformational projects that are an investment in the state's future.
The trail could be such a transformational project, and a measured investment by the state could play a pivotal role in having an impact on the lives of those along the trail as well as the state.
Stay on the trail, Missouri.
-- News Tribune