City to celebrate opening of Cape Girardeau's Riverfront Trail on Saturday

Cape Girardeau's extended Riverfront Trail officially will open Saturday with a noon ceremony at the Missouri Department of Conservation's Mississippi River boat access area in the Red Star neighborhood.

The ceremony on National Trails Day will mark completion of an $800,000 project extending the concrete trail on the river side of the floodwall. The trail now runs from the Red Star neighborhood southward to the end of the floodwall in Cape Girardeau's downtown, a distance of 6,800 feet or more than a mile.

In late April, a 100-foot-long pedestrian bridge was installed, spanning Sloan Creek and extending the trail to the boat access site. In all, the trail was extended by some 300 feet on the north end and about 1,300 feet on the south side.

Parks and recreation director Julia Thompson welcomed the completion of the project.

"It is an exciting time for the community," said Thompson, who plans to ride her bicycle on the trail Saturday.

A newly installed bridge over Sloan Creek, linking the river walk to the Red Star Access area, Thursday, June 2, 2016 in Cape Girardeau.Glenn Landberg

The entire trail was opened to hikers and bikers last week, she said.

"It is a project that has been dreamed about for quite some time," she said Thursday. The extended trail makes the downtown more accessible to residents of the Red Star neighborhood.

Brock Davis, parks division manager, said neighborhood residents "can walk downtown and not even be on the street."

City officials have said the trail extension has created a new access point for the river walk, which previously was accessible only via the Broadway and Themis Street floodgates.

In October 2014, the Cape Girardeau City Council awarded the construction contract to Nip Kelley Equipment Co.

Rain and river levels impeded work on the north end of the project for more than a year, particularly in construction of a bridge support on the north side of Sloan Creek, which empties into the Mississippi River.

A record flood in December and January also delayed completion of the project.

Original plans called for constructing a pedestrian turnaround on the south end of the trail, but BNSF Railway Co. objected to that idea because it would have extended the concrete trail beyond the end of the floodwall, said David Whitaker, assistant city engineer. The railroad's tracks run parallel to and on the city side of the floodwall.

Concrete jersey barriers and chain-link fence now mark the end of the trail on that end, he said.

In addition to the trail, the project also includes 11 new LEDs, which have been installed on top of the floodwall along the southern section of the newly extended trail, Whitaker said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

Riverfront, Cape Girardeau, Mo.