The Rock Island Corridor is officially under control of the Jackson County Government after a signing ceremony on Monday.
The corridor was once run by Union Pacific Railroad, and it will soon be home to a project years in the making.
According to plans from Jackson County leaders, the 17-mile long corridor will be the site of a walking and biking trail.
Rock Island Corridor map courtesy Jackson County Government
Leaders hope to one day connect the path to the Katy Trail, creating a route for hikers and cyclists all the way to St. Louis.
Cyclist Deb Wood, who lives in Raytown, attended the signing ceremony. She said she was excited about what the future holds for the project.
"I think it's going to be awesome for bikers to have a safer place to be able to ride and get to several different parts of the county," she explained.
Some of the ceremonial spikes at the @JacksonCountyMO Rock Island corridor signing ceremony pic.twitter.com/UFwu8J1Y1R
— Tom Dempsey (@KCTomDempsey) May 2, 2016
The biking and walking trail may also bring in more customers to shops all along the route and in surrounding areas, including the Bike Stop in Lee's Summit.
"Anytime you can give your customers and ridership a good place to ride, it's always good for the local economy and local businesses," explained Bike Stop owner Todd Pennington, who has run the business for 28 years. "We see a lot of out-of-towners come into the shop and getting ready to do a Katy Trail ride. Once Rock Island gets completed, I think we're going to see even more of that."
Planners are hoping to complete the biking and walking trail along the Rock Island Corridor by 2017.
However, the bike path only represents part of a larger vision.
As seen in concept drawings shown at the ceremony on Monday, planners hope to make the corridor "multi-mobile."
Organizers said the path could possibly be home to a rail line, bringing commuters and travelers to areas like downtown Kansas City and the Truman Sports Complex.
Rendering of Truman Sports Complex Station. Courtesy Jackson County Government
While much of the full project is still to be decided on, Raytown Mayor Mike McDonough said the route could help out his area.
"I think it'll help us be that spot for people to stop at along the way to downtown, out south, or to the stadium," McDonough said.
He also explained that downtown Raytown in particular could see a boom from the project.
"There's a lot of empty spaces down there at the moment," McDonough said. "I think it'll regenerate some interest in developing the empty spaces there and some of the older buildings that are empty."
As it stands now, the Rock Island Corridor project is expected to cost around $84 million in general fund dollars. Planners pointed out that no new taxes would come as a result of the construction.
Organizers said they plan to talk with neighbors along the route and survey the land in the coming weeks.
------
Tom Dempsey can be reached at Tom.Dempsey@KSHB.com.
