BLAZING A TRAIL: RECREATIONAL PATH PROVIDES BLEND OF TOWN AND COUNTRY

Bicyclists and walking enthusiasts will find a pleasant mix of town and country when they experience the first portion of the Cape LaCroix Creek Recreation Trail.

A mile-plus section of the trail opened recently with the completion of a foot bridge across the creek just north of the Bloomfield Road bridge. The completed section of the trail starts at Independence, winds under Route K, South Kingshighway and Bloomfield Road and ends at Brink Street.

When the four-phase recreation trail project is completed sometime next year, it will stretch between four and five miles from North Kingshighway and Osage Park south to Arena Park and on to Shawnee Park in the city's southern end.

The nine-mile (round-trip) trail includes 6- to 8-foot wide concrete or asphalt walkways along the creek. The trails are designed for bikers, hikers and roller skaters.

Construction of the trail, proposed in 1988 as a part of a flood-control project along Cape LaCroix and Walker creeks, will be completed in sections.

Dan Muser, director of Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation, walked the just-opened section recently and found it inviting. "It was quiet. The water was down and you could hear an occasional ripple of water as it ran over the rocks in the creek bed. The scenery was pleasant. I was impressed."

A lot of people are walking now, noted Muser. "This is another option for them -- an option that the city is happy to provide."

The trail will improve.

"As more miles are added in the three future phases, our department will be adding informational signs, and benches will be placed along the route."

Original plans for the project included a trail along Walker Creek, which would have added another three miles to the overall project. That section would have extended from the intersection of LaCroix and Walker creeks near Bloomfield and Kingshighway, north to Cherokee Park.

The original project plans called for channel modifications for flood control on Cape LaCroix Creek and Walker Branch, construction of a 157-acre water detention basin north of Cape Girardeau, and construction of a nine-mile (one-way) hiking and biking trail.

A three-mile portion of the trail project along Walker Branch, which would have included crossing under Broadway, was abandoned because of cost.

The next phase of trail construction will be from Independence through Arena Park to East Rodney.

The trail will follow the south side of the creek past the tennis courts, then utilize a foot bridge to cross to the north side of the creek, and on to East Rodney.

"The bids have been let and construction will start any day now on the second phase," said Muser. "And sometime in late summer or early fall, we'll be letting bids for the third phase."

That phase will include construction of the trail along East Rodney to Hopper Road and through Cape Woods to Osage Park. Current plans are to go under Kingshighway at Mount Auburn and North Kingshighway.

A side hiking trail is in the plans for the Cape Woods Conservation area. "The side loop will add a half to three-quarters of mile for hikers," said Muser.

"With the completion of the Cape Woods portion, the trail will become even more enjoyable," said Muser. "Hikers will be seeing a lot of different vegetation."

The final phase of the project will be the section from Brink Street to Shawnee Park.

Although no immediate plans have been finalized for the final section, Muser is hopeful that the entire trail will be completed by late next year.

Eric Gooden, an outdoors enthusiast who became involved in the planning of the trail early on, said last week he was pleased to see the completion of the first section but was disappointed in some sections of the trail.

Gooden, who owns Cape Bicycle at 2410 William, adjacent to one of the entrances to the trail, is especially disappointed with what he calls a "dead man's curve," a 6-foot-wide stretch of the trail that rounds a curve and goes under Independence Street.

"The trail at that point needs to be widened," said Gooden. "It's a dangerous stretch. I think if the city is going to build a trail, it should do it right, and a 6-foot-wide path at this point is not right."

Muser answers that the city will install signs warning of the narrower curves.

When the voters approved the quarter-cent sales tax for the flood and trail project, Gooden visited an area in Davenport, Iowa, where a similar project was intact.

"They've had the trail there for years," said Gooden, "and they tell me that it is one of the most used recreational facilities in the city."

Gooden was instrumental in routing parts of the trail beneath main thoroughfares here.

The Corps of Engineers originally planned to route the trail across major city streets with crosswalks and stop signals. Gooden and about 30 other people appeared before the Cape Girardeau City Council, pleading for underpasses to be built, for safety reasons.

Gooden was disappointed when the Walker Creek portion of the project was disbanded, saying the city should fulfill its promises to the citizens.

The trail itself was initially going to be 4 miles long. Then it was stretched to nine miles, emptying out into a massive park in the 157-acre detention area north of the city, complete with an amphitheater and camping grounds. As it stands now, the trail will be between four and five miles.

The cost of the flood-control project has increased from $28 million in 1988 to more than $40 million.