With the progress on the Trails KC plan and several ribbon cuttings for new cycling connections and pedestrian bridges, it hasn't been a bad year for folks who commute by motor-less means. But if there's one project that has tested the faith of even the most patient cycling activists, it's the Riverfront Heritage Trail.
As 2009 comes to a close, the completion of the RHT -- meant to be a history tour, tourist draw and downtown bike-path hub running from Berkley Park in Missouri to Kaw Point in Kansas -- is five years past due.
But, hark, cycling advocates: a holiday present! Darby Trotter, the president of the nonprofit Kansas City Rivertrails and guy in charge of the RHT, says there is new momentum behind the snail-paced project. "Some parts of the trail are in really good shape and some parts are chugging along slowly," he says. "But the riverfront has shown sudden life."
And you're invited to celebrate -- free appetizers included -- at the Town of Kansas Bridge tonight.
The Kansas City Port Authority is hosting a groundbreaking and holiday lighting party this evening to mark the birth of a much better-looking and bike-friendly Town of Kansas Pedestrian Bridge. The long wooden structure that connects Berkley Park to the River Market is a key piece of the Riverfront Heritage Trail. But, until now, people on two wheels had two options to ascend to street level -- cross their fingers that the elevator was working (doubtful) or hoist their bikes up the "stair tower."
But by early 2010, that clunky system will be replaced with a "u-rail" track system, so cyclists will be able to push instead of haul their bikes up the stairs. That's not all, says Branden Criman, a planner for the Port Authority. Get ready for an eco-art installation, a sprawling rain garden and "sculptural seating" at the bridge's entrance.
And that's just the first of two trail developments along the riverfront in the next few weeks.
On January 15, Criman adds, the Port Authority is cutting the ribbon on a segment of the Riverfront Heritage Trail that vexed planners for years -- the ASB Underpass. The $3 million stretch hugs the river bank and snakes under the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad -- thus eliminating one more hurdle in the hiccupping trail. "Usually people would go down and run into a fence," Trotter says. "Now that underpass is nearly done -- and that takes the railroad out of the picture."
Of course, that doesn't mean smooth sailing all the way down to Kaw Point Park. There are still significant gaps. Trotter insists they're well on their way to being plugged.
There's a new bridge in the works, he says, that will allow cyclists to safely descend from the aptly named Overlook Park at Fourth and Beardsley streets. The Forester Viaduct -- a bridge complete with a bike lane -- will hop over another set of railroad tracks and land in the West Bottoms. Don't bank on cruising it anytime soon, though. It'll be two years before that's built out, Trotter says.
Then there's the disconnect between the Woodswether Bridge -- the artsy, wrought-iron treasure that spans the Kansas River under Interstate 70 -- and Kaw Point Park. There's a hypothetical ramp to fit those pieces together, but, at this point, Trotter says, the plans still need to be approved by the Army Corps of Engineers.
So what's Trotter's predicted date for the completion of the Riverfront Heritage Trail? Maybe 2011. A good seven years behind schedule.
But the trails' advocate doesn't dwell on the timeline. He stresses that this project has gone far beyond its original borders. "It's goal was to be just the hub," he says of Riverfront's role in the downtown trail system. "But it will be much more when we get finished, much more than 9 miles. It will probably be more like 15 or 17 miles. But here's the problem: It's extremely expensive. We've had to go over I-70 and 670 [highways]. We've had to go over all these major railroads. We've had to go over the Kansas River and the Missouri River a couple times. That costs huge money. A difficult trail might cost $50,000 for a mile. Ours is running maybe up to several million dollars for half a mile."
But weren't those costs expected from the start, based on the trajectory of the trail? Did funding fall through that Trotter was banking on? He somewhat skirts those questions, saying it's a matter of civic priorities. Nobody -- not politicians, private individuals or nonprofits -- have take up the Riverfront Heritage Trail, or the downtown trail network, as a cause.
"So it takes time," Trotter says wearily. "Compare us to San Antonio, where they see the river as something to build around. Here the river always seems to be a problem, rather than an advantage and until people see it as an advantage, as a special bonus that we have, people are always going to be fighting uphill to get this stuff built. The people who do it are seen as half nuts or great visionaries. But mostly, half nuts."
Speaking of snacks, appetizers and seasonal beverages will be on hand at the Port Authority's groundbreaking this evening. Swing by the First + Main Lofts anytime between 4 and 7 p.m.
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