Lee's Summit to Pleasant Hill Trail Connection

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Mark from Lee's Summit on 5/30/2018 8:07:16 PM:

It is important for everyone to understand that the Lee's Summit to Pleasant Hill trail connection for the Katy Trail Rock Island Spur will require several separate projects to be approved and funded. The link below details the various projects and how many years out the funding will be, and those funding years assume that these projects get picked over other competing projects. If you want this connection to be prioritized, then you need to provide comments when these projects get submitted. This project is competing for 2021-2022 funding right now through MARC's current call for federally funded projects.

http://marc2.org/tr_CFP/UploadedFiles/865_ProjID-180323%20Greenwood%20Connector%20Map.pdf

Paul Toigo from Kansas City on 6/13/2018 6:06:51 AM:

When will the blue "Rock Island Corridor (End)" portion, that is apparently fully funded and under construction, be complete?

Mark from Lee's Summit on 6/13/2018 8:49:21 PM:

Phase 1 from Jefferson & Scherer in Lee's Summit to Noland and 350 in Kansas City will be ready by the end of this year including the tunnel under Bannister/Colbern. Phase 2 from Noland and 350 to the Stadium Complex won't be bid until later this year and it will take at least all of 2019 to complete that section. The section included in Phase 2 requires that the trail be built beside the rail line so the rail line can quickly be rebuilt in the future for a commuter rail line, so the 2019 work will probably go quite a bit slower.

Scott Walden from Lee's Summit on 6/22/2018 6:00:52 PM:

So can the Rock Island Trail be picked up at Jefferson and Scherer and rode towards Pleasant Hill?

Mark from Lee's Summit on 6/22/2018 8:45:05 PM:

Jackson County is hoping to get funding in 2021-2022. Look at this link and you can see all of the separate projects that will have to get funded and organized in order to make the connection between Lee's Summit and Pleasant Hill a reality. It will take lots of support from the general public in order to get the funding over the next 3-4 years so this section of trail can get completed. As you can see in the map exhibit, right of way or easements will have to be obtained from multiple property owners. Here is the link:
http://marc2.org/tr_CFP/UploadedFiles/865_ProjID-180323%20Greenwood%20Connector%20Map.pdf

Scott T Walden from Lees Summit on 6/28/2018 7:21:36 AM:

My wife and I road on the Rock Island Spur yesterday starting at the Purvis Rd. trail head. We had a very nice ride, the trail was in very good condition and we only ran across one instance of horse droppings and they were on the far edge of the trail. Afterwards we drove around Lee's Summit (were we live) and saw where the trail will be in Hartman park and also the end of the trail on Brickyard road.

MB from Lees Summit on 7/23/2018 12:30:35 AM:

I think the RIT will see a dramatic increase in ridership once Lee's Summit is linked with P Hill. If I'm not mistaken, the population of LS is around 100k. That means a fair number of cyclists. I think a lot of folks might be currently interested in riding the trail but won't hassle with packing up bikes and driving to Pleasant Hill and back...but they'd definitely hop on a bike in LS and ride out to PH. FWIW, I think the priority should have been getting LS linked with PH first, rather than trail from LS toward KC.

Sir Randall from Fort Lauderdale on 8/3/2018 6:22:19 PM:

We are taking the Amtrak from St. Louis to Lee's Summit in a few weeks. The ability to have a cheap and reliable rail service that accommodates bikes is what appeals to bicycle tourists such as my group. This allows us to ride the entire trail one way. The same is said for the GAP-C&O trail. Less experienced cyclists might be intimidated by navigating the 12 miles between LS and PH. I think Amtrak would see an increase in cyclist riders on their trains too.

Hoss from Between the Grapevines on 8/19/2018 5:46:36 PM:

I agree. It is surprising to me that the LS to PH is not priority but who knows the politics involved. The Katy would absolutely benefit, and is kind of a no brainer to me as it would provide safe access from the Railroad to the RIT trail and further on to the Katy. By the end of next year there will be safe passage from the Amtrak station in Washington to the Katy. Its still several years before there is a dedicated trail for Kirkwood to Katy. St Louis to Katy will be here before that ever happens, its luckily on the Greenway plan. I"m happy that they are doing what they are in KC tho. I think we should talk to Southwest, imagine this perfect biking vacation : Fly in STL, ride Metro to downtown. Dip your tire in the ole Miss, then ride on over to KC and dip the tire in the Missouri, then shuttle up to KCI, or ride back on the RIT :)

MB from Lees Summit on 8/26/2018 1:14:15 AM:

Sir Randall, Amtrak goes right through Pleasant Hill. They could put a stop there if they so chose, I'd guess. From what I've heard, some folks in PH asked Amtrak about it, and they basically had zero interest in the idea. Given how few cyclists ride the train in relation to overall ridership on the Missouri Mule, probably not really a priority to them.

Stephan from O'Fallon, MO on 12/7/2018 10:54:06 PM:

Like Sir Randall, we have a group planning on taking the Amtrak from St. Louis to Lee's Summit to ride the RIT/Katy back to St. Charles.

Can anyone recommend a good/safe bike route from the Lee's Summit Amtrak station to the Pleasant Hill RIT trailhead (unless it's possible to hop on the RIT sooner)? Gravel roads are fine/preferred, if available. The less traffic, the better.

Kim Henderson, Kim's Cabins from Windsor on 12/8/2018 12:08:12 AM:

Sharing this from friend, Alexander Pirnie.
Take the 13.6 mile route through Greenwood Missouri. BUT stay south on Allendale Rd. Follow that road till 175th St. It will change names a few times. Turn left or East on 175th. That will take you straight to Pleasant Hill. Cross the tracks and turn right onto the trail. That will take you to Pleasant Hill and on your way East to Windsor.

I've ridden this route 100s of times. I feel it is the safest way there

Ray (webmaster) on 12/8/2018 6:56:48 AM:

Kim thanks for sharing Alexander's route - good information. Because a picture is worth a thousand words, I mapped out what I think is his suggested route.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Pleasant+Hill,+Missouri+64080/Lee's+Summit+Station,+217+SW+Main+St,+Lee's+Summit,+MO+64063/@38.8458144,-94.3957064,12.16z/data=!4m19!4m18!1m10!1m1!1s0x87c1242315365cb3:0x9ed8820ff9c01bfd!2m2!1d-94.2693911!2d38.7875094!3m4!1m2!1d-94.3357877!2d38.8004196!3s0x87c12694e1012377:0x128d50368340d14d!1m5!1m1!1s0x87c11ff319f409d7:0xc480854cfbf6021f!2m2!1d-94.3783309!2d38.9126791!3e1

I have not actually ridden this, but I used Google Maps to get Google's suggested bike routes from Lees Summit Amtrak station to Pleasant Hill. Then I adjusted that route to stay on Allendale Rd like Alexander said. This is either the route, or very close to it.

Happy trails!

John and Judy Church from Lee’s Summit on 2/26/2019 10:56:28 AM:

We walked from Hartman Park out about 2.7 miles and back.
Very scenic and trail is in good condition. Plan to walk this trail many more times.

Kathy Flynn from Troy Missouri on 5/7/2019 3:20:30 PM:

Looking for transport from Pleasant Hill to Lees Summitt for 3 bikes and bikers. We will be doing the Rock Hill Spur starting on a Saturday morning ending in Pleasant Hill and needing to get to Lee's Summitt for the night stay. Will need transport back to Pleasant Hill the next morning for the return trip. Do you have information on someone that does this? Thank you

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