BELLE — After nearly 10 years of waiting, the city of Belle at 1 p.m. on May 31 will celebrate breaking ground on the Rock Island Trail with a ribbon-cutting and social event at Zumwalt’s Feed Mill, 309 Highway 28 East.

Alderman Steve Vogt, a longtime trail supporter, announced on May 13 that the event would mark the beginning of construction. The city received a $174,000 Federal Highway Administration Grant for the Rock Island Trail project. It is responsible for  $40,000 to $44,000 in addition to the grant. Half of the city’s $44,000 financial responsibility may be contributed as an in-kind match.

“There will be a lot of dignitaries there, with a reception at the Mill after,” Vogt said, before noting the deadline for the project. “It must be completed by Halloween.”

Belle is one of three communities commemorating a groundbreaking or opening on May 31 for the new linear state park, and will host the last event of the day.

The iconic Rock Island Trail State Park, which will intersect the Katy Trail to eventually form a loop of almost 450 miles, will be something unique not only to the country, but the world.

Trail supporters and Missouri State Parks employees alike tout the expectation of economic gains for about two dozen communities located along the 144 miles of former railroad. Supporters also see the benefit of connecting to the Katy Trail, which attracts nearly 400,000 visitors annually, viewing the partnership as a multiplier for financial benefits. The Katy Trail has a financial impact exceeding $18 million annually.

A celebration ceremony will be held in Gerald at the trailhead along Highway 50 at 9 a.m. to commemorate the opening of one mile of trail. In Owensville at 11 a.m. at City Hall, 107 W. Sears Ave., a ribbon cutting will officially open the two and a half miles of trail through the city limits.

Celebrations are held by the cities and Friends of the Rock Island Trail State Park (FORIT). The Rails-To-Trails conservancy will also be in attendance.

Members of the Missouri Rock Island Trail (MORIT) in Belle began working to establish a one-mile trail along the former railroad through Belle about a decade ago. However, other communities jumped on board, and rather than requesting a walking trail beside the railroad, the scope of the project turned into building on the trail.

Ameren Missouri owned the former Rock Island Line and its right-of-way as the Missouri Central Railroad. However, the utility company agreed to donate 144 miles of the dilapidated line to the state of Missouri for use as a recreational trail.

It took several more years as Ameren Missouri worked to complete the railbanking process, salvage the rails and clean up debris. However, in 2023, the process was completed and the utility company offered the former rail line to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, to be regulated by State Parks, and establish it as a hiking and biking trail. At that point, the Rock Island Trail became Missouri’s 93rd State Park.

“The region benefited from an influx of funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and several other federal, state and local policy measures, which helped make these recent developments possible and showcase the importance of federal funding,” wrote Patricia Brooks with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

CLARIFICATION: RAILS to Trails Conservancy clarified they will only provide rides to the groundbreaking and trail opening ceremonies on Saturday, May 31, to journalists, not the general public.