Reply to Machens? You must be Joking...

The trail end should NOT be called Machens,the trail end was historically called the Katy-Junction,or more appropriately the Texas Junction; because that is where the MKT RR line forked from the Burlington RR Route.SAY >do you wonder WHY the Federal Government shovels so much money {$21-million +++} into the adjoining Levee repairs and yet YOU can not use the trail on top of it?
Yes-it is your taxpayers money repairing those levees and blow-holes that YOU taxpayers can not ride a bike on.
US GOVERNMENT MONEY rebuilt those Levee sections and you should able to use them too. Politics>the families around the Trail from St. Charles to "Machens" have a grip on St. Charles County Government. The CNCLevee District pay $20,000 dollars each year to lobby politicians (look it up). The handful of local Farmers do NOT want YOU there. They have kept it private for 17 If the Katy Trail was allowed to use sections of the Missouri Levee that YOU taxpayers pay for (after every damaging MO. River flood) YOU could connect to the trail going to Alton. WHY not--RICH FARMERS IN ST. CHARLES COUNTY delaying YOUR trail and NOT letting you use levees YOU paid for to complete. THEY are crony-buddies with the County Exec and State Reps.
Look it up and see WHO it is (ie:the taxpayers) pays for those Missouri River Levees and ask why YOU can't ride to "Machens" yet!
ASK why Consolidated North County Levee District (ie local rich farmers are getting FEDERAL repair money and are still allowed to keep YOU off sections of the Katy Trail paid for with that(YOUR)dollars.
Cronyism , Good-Old-Boy politics is why. Flood money and crop subsidies fill the pockets and trickle to the local fatcat politicians. Those CNCLD folks don't have to loose a lawsuit to keep you off the trail, they simply have a few local politicians who know how to work the FLOOD MONEY.

Well...................

I envy your passion. It's been a long time since I've been able to get myself that worked up over something.

Riding on bike paths on top of levys is less than ideal.....good to get from point to point but thats about it.