Machens, Missouri on the Katy Trail

ST. CHARLES COUNTY — A new target date of next fall has been set for the completion of long-delayed work on the eastern tip of the Katy Trail.

The project will complete the 11-mile segment connecting St. Charles and the Machens area to the northeast, between the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

Judd Slivka, a spokesman for the state Department of Natural Resources, said the agency now hopes to begin the project in April and that it's expected to take about six months.

For years, state officials have wanted to take the trail to Machens, but the floods of 1993 and 1995 left two large areas of standing water on the trail.

After the state decided that building a bridge over one 600-foot gap would be too costly, other options were looked into. Putting part of the trail atop an existing levee was chosen.

The state first planned to do that work in 2007, but the completion date and others since then haven't been met because of budget and weather problems.

Slivka said state officials want to use federal economic stimulus funds sought by the state Department of Transportation for the project, which now has a price tag of about $655,000. A year ago, the state estimated the cost at $350,000.

Slivka said the earlier estimate was for state employees to do the work. He said current plans call for hiring private contractors and deploying state workers for other projects.