Jackson County's $52M hike and bike trail in limbo after feds deny right of way

Jackson County, which paid $52 million to acquire nearly 18 miles of the old Rock Island Railway to rip up tracks and ties and build a hiking and biking trail from Lee’s Summit to the Truman Sports Complex, no longer has a right to that corridor, a federal regulatory agency has ruled.

The decision Tuesday by the federal Surface Transportation Board, which regulates rail corridors in the United States, effectively places the fate of the trail in limbo.

It raises questions about who actually now owns the 17.7-mile strip, what will become of it and whether the county squandered $52 million of taxpayer money.

“It means Jackson County is totally (expletive),” said Kansas City attorney Tom Stewart, who sued challenging the method in which the county took possession of the land to build the trail. “What that means is that they have spent $52 million and, as things stand today, they don’t even have any right to be on the corridor, let alone build a hiking and biking trail.

Read more: https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article233437067.html