Casey Wix from Columbia MO on 11/28/2020 8:26:51 PM:
An update for out-of state folks wanting to cross the river at Washington (which I highly recommend for biking between the KATY trail and the Amtrak Station in Washington.) New bridge across the Missouri river was completed in 2019 and it has a bike lane separated from traffic so it is very safe. However, going between Dutzow trailhead on the Katy trail and this river bridge at Washington MO requires biking 3 miles on a narrow shoulder of a very busy Highway 47. INstead, I recommend using the Augusta Bottoms Road that connects highway 47 at the north end of the new bridge to the KATY trail at approx mile 70.5, about 3.5 miles east of Dutzow. This road is paved with no shoulder and winds through farmland but has hardly any traffic. If you are westbound on the trail from the St. Louis area, it is a great shortcut to Washington. If you are eastbound on the trail from Sedalia/Jefferson City/Boonville, taking the Augusta Bottom road will lengthen your trip by about 3 miles, but probably save your life.