Heavy rain brings collapse of trail

ROCHEPORT, Mo. -- Katy Trail State Park is open this weekend, but two portions of the hiking and biking trail damaged by floodwaters and rain have collapsed and could be trouble for those hoping to traverse it.

About 150 feet of trail caved in between McBaine and Rocheport in central Missouri, the Department of Natural Resources said. Park officials have set up a 200-foot bypass alongside the trail that will allow trail users to get past the damage, which occurred about 10 miles west of Columbia and two miles south of the Interstate 70 bridge.

"That really is a heavily used section of the trail, so we really wanted to get that open before Memorial Day weekend," DNR spokeswoman Sue Holst said Friday.

The more troublesome stretch of damage is in eastern Missouri, in Warren County, between the McKittrick and Treloar trailheads, where about 200 feet of trail was damaged. But there's no room for a bypass next to the trail, so Highway 94 is the detour around it.

"But it is a very strenuous 12-mile detour," Holst said. "It's very scenic, but very hilly."

Both sections were briefly covered when the Missouri River swelled due to heavy spring rains.

Holst said there will be repairs to both sections, most extensively on the Rocheport section, where the bank will have to be better stabilized. "We want to make sure that this kind of situation doesn't happen again," she said.