Missouri Riverfront Trail

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

The Missouri Riverfront Trail presents an innovative county partnership to develop a regional recreational amenity that is one of the highest priorities for Platte County citizens. In 2000, the county adopted the Northland Trails Vision Plan. This plan, compiled through numerous opportunities for citizen input, listed the Missouri Riverfront Trail as its highest priority. Platte County residents place a high value on wellness and the environment. The Riverfront Trail project provided a unique way to address needs by developing a 3.5 mile walking and bicycling path along the most prominent natural resource in the County, the Missouri River. The project involved cooperation from multiple public and private partners. Funding for the project came from a variety of sources, including a voter approved County-wide parks sales tax. The innovative project utilized a section of a private levee for the pathway, making it one of the first such projects in the Midwest. Opened in August 2008, the Riverfront Trail was an immediate success with area residents. The project provided a new service to county residents, enhanced county government partnerships with cities and the private sector, and brought more citizens into an active role of planning for their future.