Mississippi
River Trail
Draft Plan Made Public
This
article was written and posted on INHF's website in February 2003.
The proposed route
for Iowa's section of the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) has been
drafted by the Center for Transportation Research and Education
(CTRE) and is now online, ready for public comment.
The MRT is a bicycle route that will eventually run over 2000
miles from the headwaters of Mississippi River in Lake Itasca,
Minnesota, to the Gulf of Mexico in New Orleans. The route follows
the "Mighty Mississippi" and zigzags along its 10 bordering
states.
The MRT's proposed Iowa route will travel 280 miles through 10
counties: Allamakee, Clayton, Clinton, Des Moines, Dubuque, Jackson,
Lee, Louisa, Muscatine and Scott. It will be developed off-road
as much as possible but-when necessary-will be located on clearly
marked bicycle lanes on roadway shoulders. It will serve as a
"backbone" trail connecting existing Iowa trails.
Mark Ackelson, president of Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF),
currently serves as chairman of the board for the MRT, Inc. (a
10-state regional non-profit organization providing private support
for the project). "When completed, the Mississippi River
Trail will be a world-class bike route that Iowans and people
from around the world can enjoy," Ackelson said. "Not
only will the MRT make Iowa a premiere cycling destination, it
will also link the communities to their natural world and serve
as a catalyst for economic development."
David Plazak and Jamie Luedtke at Iowa State University's CTRE
conducted the research for Iowa's route in two different stages.
The first stage was to gather data to help select routes near
the river that were safe and comfortable for riders and that offered
a number of different attractions: towns, parks, natural historical
monuments.
The second stage was to hold public meetings where citizens gave
their input on the maps. The plan is now available at www.ctre.iastate.edu/mrt/.
Ackelson, Plazak and other trail organizers encourage Iowans to
review the draft Iowa plan and submit feedback. Plazak is hoping
for a good e-mail response from Iowans within the next month.
Then it will be back to the drawing boards to figure in any alterations
that need to be made to the route. "There were some difficult
areas on these maps to find good routes," Plazak said. "There
really isn't one [in some cases], and more detailed planning is
needed."
Clyde Bradley of Clinton, a former member of the Iowa House of
Representatives, also serves on the MRT, Inc. board. As a member
of a Mississippi River community on the proposed route, he believes
that public, as well as private, input and effort are key factors
in the successful completion of MRT. "I am convinced that
anything we do, we have to involve a lot of people," Bradley
said. "We need to get a lot of families involved because
there are a lot of attractions for them. This trail will tie communities
together better than a road."
The construction
of the MRT in Iowa will occur in phases. Some sections will only
require "MRT" signs on already-existing trails and suitable
roads. The other segments will be constructed in the order generally
determined by the segments' capability to be quickly and affordably
completed.
The completion of
the entire MRT in Iowa will take years, while the national trail
could take decades. Each state along the route is developing the
detailed route alignment and implementation strategy, while local
advocates are working with Iowa's Congressional delegation to
seek federal funds.
For more information
about the national Mississippi River Trail, see
our magazine article, call the MRT, Inc. office at 651-698-2727
or visit their website at www.mississippirivertrail.org.
For more information,
e-mail Cathy Engstrom,
Director of Communications, or call (515) 288-1846.
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