Jackson opens section of recreation trail

~ Walkway provides safe crossing for pedestrians and bikers.

Jackson residents, trying to cross the busy U.S. 61 near City Park now have a safe alternative.

Over the weekend, the city opened a 120-foot section of the Hubble Creek Recreation Trail, which runs under the North High Street/U.S. 61 bridge. Eventually, the entire trail will connect City Park with Brookside Park.

As part of the first phase of the Hubble Creek project, a 100-foot-long, 4-foot-high retaining wall was constructed under the North High Street bridge. In April, the city of Jackson awarded a contract to Mueller Brothers Irrigation and Hardscapes Inc. of Cape Girardeau in the amount of $8,343 to construct the wall.

Jackson's street department completed the trail portion of the project by installing 120 feet of concrete along the wall under the bridge.

"I'm very happy, the results are even better than I originally expected," public works director Rodney Bollinger said about the completion of this section of the Hubble Creek trail.

Bollinger said the street department will begin construction work to finish the 1,300-foot trail in spring 2006.

Upon final completion, the Hubble Creek trail will connect the existing sidewalk in front of the Municipal Swimming Pool to the Parks and Recreation Department Maintenance Building in Brookside Park. Plans to extend the trail to the new Jackson North Industrial Park are also under consideration.

"This phase of Hubble Creek Recreation Trail is important for two reasons," Bollinger said. "First, it provides a safe crossing under the highway bridge for pedestrians and bikers, and second it provides a convenient means for which city mowing equipment can move freely and safely between City Park and Brookside Park."

The Hubble Creek Trail is part of Jackson's Comprehensive Recreation Trails Plan, which will provide a total of 12 miles of trails when complete. Currently, the city has more than three miles finished and several more trail projects under construction.

The Missouri Department of Transportation is adding a walking trail along West Jackson Boulevard. By the end of the year, Jackson's street department will have completed a trail to connect the Orchard Drive trail to West Jackson Boulevard. In summer 2006, the one-mile Oak Street recreation trail will stretch from North West Lane into the city park.

Bollinger said the focus of the Comprehensive Recreation Trails Plan is to link major origins and destinations together, such as schools, parks and other public areas.

jfreeze@semissourian.com