This Columbia rail trail project could happen sooner as interest grows

Interest is growing in converting an unused portion of the city-owned Colt Railroad into a trail system. It's a conversation that may happen sooner than later after this week's Columbia City Council meeting.

This "rails to trails" conversion project first was included in the 2021 park sales tax renewal, said resident Tanner Ott, addressing the council Monday. The section in question is a 3 1/2 stretch from the northern part of downtown to Brown Station Road, he said.

"The historic Colt line connected Columbia to the industrial northeast and Chicago and on the south end of the Colt line was the Wabash train depot," he said. The train depot now is the city's Wabash bus station in the North Village Arts District.

The stretch also is in the areas known as The Stockyards, home to Ozark Moutain Biscuit Co. restaurant and Logboat Brewing, and the Arcade District, home to places like Witches and Wizards arcade and Irene's Tex-Mex barbecue restaurant.

"It's really becoming a popular destination and it's etching itself into Columbia's culture more and more every day," Ott said. "... It feels like it's time to get the ball running on the first mile of the southern end of the Colt rail line. This area could be known as the 'Colt Greenway' from the new North Village Park to the Business Loop."

The city could come back with a report Sept. 3 on potentially bumping up the schedule for a Colt trail project, said City Manager De'Carlon Seewood, answering an earlier comment from Mayor Barbara Buffaloe.

"The Colt trail is on the (capital improvement project) list, but I believe the dates on it are from 2027 until 2030, and I am just wondering if that is because of the idea of the whole trail. I think what they opened up today was the potential for some sort of public-private partnership that opens up projects faster," Buffaloe had said.

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on X, formerly Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.