In 1992, the City began its planning efforts to complete a combined bike route and trail plan for Blue Springs. Supported by the Out of the Blue into the Future Visioning Plan of 1998 and a number of subsequent annual Citizen Survey Reports, the plan identified the potential for 24.5 miles of bike routes and 29.1 miles of trails throughout the City.
In 2000, the City received a bike/trail grant from the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) for a little more than $500,000. The City Council then matched the grant with $500,000 in designated funds, making total funding for the project more than $1 million.
After more than 10 years of plan development and complex decision making, the vision for the Bike and Pedestrian Trail project has come to fruition, as it was approved by City Council during Tuesday's meeting. Next steps for the project with include all required land work necessary to get the bike and pedestrian trails under construction.
Many thanks are owed to Parks and Recreation Director Roscoe Righter for his many years of labor and planning to get this project underway. For more information or to view the entire Bike and Pedestrian Trail project presentation go to www.bluespringsgov.com/trails.