ST. CHARLES COUNTY — Bicyclists who want to experience the entire Katy Trail as it was meant to be may get to give it a spin as early as this summer.

For years, an 11-mile section of the trail just north of St. Charles and running to Machens has remained incomplete. Two parts of that stretch had been washed out by floodwater, and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources was trying to find a way around the problem. The section has long been depicted on trail maps as a dotted line.

The state agency and the North County Levee District, which controls the levee near the trail, have talked several times over the past year about the possibility of rerouting the trail on the levee. They hope to have an agreement within the next month, said Trent Summers, legislative liaison with the state agency.

Kevin Wibbenmeyer, an attorney for the district, said the groups had to work out liability, maintenance and construction details. They want to make sure that even with the trail construction, the levee is strong enough to hold.

"In my opinion, both sides have done a good job of recognizing that there are interests of both parties that can be accomplished by one agreement," he said.

At issue is a spot about five miles north of St. Charles, where floodwater gouged out a "scour hole" that has cut a 600-foot gap in the middle of the trail. The state could build a bridge to cross the hole, but that would be expensive, so officials hope to build the trail on the levee just west of the washout.

Floodwater also washed out another spot in the trail just south of the scour hole. The washout, called a "blew hole," is basically a lake in the middle of the trail's path. A little more than a year ago, the state hauled in gravel and built a trail around the river side of the hole on land it already owned.

Earlier this year, the state agency built two information posts at Machens and Black Walnut and a small parking area at Black Walnut. Officials also plan to build a restroom at Machens. Because a road leading to the Machens stop is private, that stop is accessible by only the trail.

Dusty Reid, superintendent of the easternmost section of Katy Trail State Park, says the opening of the new section will be a boon for residents in the eastern part of the county, including those in the New Town development. It's also one step closer to connecting the trail to Confluence Point State Park and the bike trails leading to Illinois, he said.

On the other side of the state, momentum has been building to extend the Katy Trail to Kansas City from its current stopping point in Clinton. This spring, the governor endorsed the idea of asking Ameren Corp. to let the state use an old Rock Island Railroad bed it owns as part of the trail. This would extend the trail from Windsor, east of Clinton, to Pleasant Hill, a suburb of Kansas City.

Bicycle advocates continue to petition Ameren. A company spokesman said Friday that they were in negotiations with the state but would give no details.

Meanwhile, Ray Scott of Webster Groves, who runs a Katy Trail website, www.bikekatytrail.com, said extending the trail to Machens was great news, especially for businesses and inns in St. Charles. Bikers who make extended journeys on the trail might want to add an extra day to their trips to ride it. The extension might also bring back cyclists who have already completed the Katy Trail.

"Cyclists in particular can be kind of compulsive," Scott points out. "If you want to say you rode the trail, you have to see every part of it. I think people are going to be compelled to do it."

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