Three projects are working to close the final gaps between the Kansas City metro area and Missouri’s Rock Island and Katy Trails.
Ribbon cutting celebration for the new Ted and Pat Jones Bridge on the Rock Island Trail State Park at Pleasant Hill.
BikeWalkKC has been working to connect Greater Kansas City to the developing trail networks in Kansas and Missouri since our founding in 2010. We’ve made great progress over the last 16 years with the 2016 opening of the Rock Island Trail State Park in West-Central Missouri and the 2019-2021 first phases of the Jackson County Rock Island Trail. This year brings progress on closing the gap between the two trails!
1. Jackson County Rock Island Trail extension – 1.5 miles of new is under construction in Lee’s Summit from SW Jefferson Road to SE Hamblen Road, passing under MO 291 Hwy. This section should be completed and open by Spring 2027.
2. A second further extension south along Hamblen Road to Greenwood is being designed in 2026. This additional mile of trail could open by 2028 if construction funding is secured. Update October 20, 2026: Due to cost increases Jackson County Parks has decided use the federal grant for this project is not sufficient to build the planned segment of trail. The project has changed to build a new trailhead for the new Hamblen Road extension currently under construction.
3. The Ted and Pat Jones Bridge opened in September at the western end of the Rock Island Trail State Park in Pleasant Hill, providing a new railroad crossing for the trail and eliminating the on-street detour that was in place for 10 years. Ted and Pat Jones gave the lift charitable gift to start the Katy Trail State Park in the 1990s, and this bridge is the final gift from the late couple’s estate.
Learn more about the KC to Katy Connection and the Rock Island corridor and bookmark our advocacy page for all the news and updates.