INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Now is your chance to help leaders in Independence, Missouri, design a new bicycle and pedestrian trail.
The city will hold a forum at city hall Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. to show concepts, routes and gather feedback.
The project is called Truman Connected because the roughly 8-mile long trail will connect the Truman Library with the Truman Sports Complex. The pathway will makes stops at Independence Square and the Englewood Arts District too.
City councilman John Perkins expects the trail to be mostly off road, but incorporate some bike lanes on regular streets too. He said the city has set aside a little more than $10 million for the project. Just under half of that total comes from a federal grant.
He said a connected community is a thriving community.
“We have that connectivity, we have great opportunities for families who live here in the community. But we have a good way to engage and also connect our visitors that come to our historic city with easy walking trails and easy biking trails,” Perkins pointed out.
Rick Frazier runs Peddler’s Cycling and Fitness in Independence. He loves the idea of a new trail, but has a believe-it-when-I-see-it mindset.
“Until I see their plans, I'm not going to get overly optimistic about it,” Frazier said. “But all trails are good. The more the merrier. We need more trails, yes.“
Several agencies in the Kansas City area are working on trails. When all the projects are complete, bicyclists could ride from the Truman Library to St. Louis on one trail.
