By Debby Woodin
dwoodin@joplinglobe.com
A new biking and walking trail in Joplin is nearing the construction phase as a result of federal stimulus money.
The Turkey Creek Trail will connect the Frisco Greenway Trail to St. Louis Avenue running along Turkey Creek. The trail will be routed south along St. Louis Avenue to hills that border Ozark Memorial Park Cemetery, and then go east to the junction of Florida Avenue and Newman Road.
“We’re excited about that,” said Jim Collins, vice president of the Joplin Trails Coalition. “That’s something we’ve been looking forward to for a long time.”
Collins said trail development benefits local users and also serves as a regional attraction. The group’s long-range goal is to have trails that connect several communities, including Joplin, Webb City, Carthage, Carl Junction, Oronogo and Pierce City.
“When that becomes reality, then this whole area becomes a destination point for recreational cyclists, runners and walkers,” he said. “It brings those people here. You’ve got hotels, restaurants and bicycle shops that will benefit. They’ll bring their families, so they’ll do shopping and other recreational things. They’ll bring tourism dollars in.”
Additionally, converting unsightly, abandoned rail lines into usable outdoor recreation space increases neighboring property values, Collins said.
The trail will be accessible either at the intersection of Newman Road and Florida Avenue; or at St. Louis Avenue between Zora Street and Ozark Memorial Park Cemetery near Langston Hughes-Broadway; or from the Frisco Trail, said Dan Johnson, the city engineer who has been working on the project.
“It’s going to be a nice trail,” he said. “We’re excited about getting to do this trail. It ties in with the trail master plan.” That plan was approved by the Joplin Area Transportation Study Organization, Johnson said.
It also will be accessible to the disabled with grades of no more than 5 percent, which makes it a complicated trail to build because there are a number of steep hills, Johnson said.
Switchbacks had to be designed on a hill alongside Ozark Memorial Park Cemetery to keep the grades compliant with regulations set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act, Johnson said.
Taming the terrain added some cost to the project, “but it makes it more accessible to everyone,” Johnson said. “You don’t have to be a young, healthy person, and yet if you’re young and healthy, you’ll enjoy it. It’s a scenic trail.”
Information about the trail system, including the Ruby Jack and the Frisco Greenway, is available on the Internet at www.joplintrailscoalition.org, Collins said. The organization holds two events each year to raise money for trail development and maintenance, and the Web site gives details about those.
The Turkey Creek Trail will be built at a cost of $441,682. Joplin will pay only $2,182 of the tab because the rest of the money will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s transportation enhancement program. The Joplin City Council last week awarded the contract for the work to Sprouls Construction Inc. There were four bidders, according to city documents.
LiveSmart initiative
A local health consortium has created the LiveSmart campaign, which encourages free or low-cost forms of exercise such was walking or using trails. The campaign advocates at least 30 minutes of walking three times or more a week, even if it is done in 10-minute intervals. It also encourages people to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
