NEW TRAIL HEAVILY USED; WORK ON FINAL SEGMENT WILL BEGIN SOON

Wind your way around the city by way of the Cape La Croix Recreation Trail and you could find yourself in a traffic jam of bikes and fitness walkers.

The 4.7-mile-long trail is in constant use by exercise enthusiasts and cyclists. It is open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Although there aren't any official counts for how many people use the new recreation trail for biking or walking, it is constantly busy, said Dan Muser, director of the city's parks and recreation department.

Choose any segment of the trail and "you wouldn't sit there for long and not see anybody," he said.

With construction of the trail's final phase set to begin soon, Muser hopes more people will be able to use it. City Council members approved a resolution Monday awarding the construction contract to Nip Kelley Equipment Co. at a cost of $56,038. Bids for the project ranged in price from Kelley's low bid to $105,000.

Work has not started yet but should be under way soon. Muser hopes the project can be complete by the end of summer.

Even without being complete, the trail is one of the more popular attractions in the city park system, and it links three of the major parks -- Osage, Arena and Shawnee.

The trail is useful for cyclists who want to ride without the hassle of vehicular traffic. It is also popular with people who walk for exercise because it is divided into mileage segments.

The popularity of the recreation trail is that it suits any age and all ability levels, Muser said. "Everybody can do it, no matter how old or how physically fit," he said.

With an 8-foot-wide paved surface, the trail offers a smooth ride whether on bike or in a wheelchair. And it's free. "That's hard to beat," Muser said.

Once the weather turns warm, and even in winter, the trail is in use. People walk or jog in the mornings and evenings.

Only two sections of the trail require crossing a road -- near Hopper bridge and along East Rodney Drive. But that problem will be eliminated once the city finishes its transportation projects. Plans call for underpasses at the Hopper Road and East Rodney segments of the trail.