Pleasant Hill Celebrates New Trail Connection
By Connie Whitlock
Publishing Editor
On Saturday, Oct. 3, state and local officials gathered to celebrate the opening of a new bridge connecting the Pleasant Hill Trailhead directly to the Rock Island Trail. Previously, walkers and cyclists had to take a lengthy road detour to avoid active railroad tracks. The Ted and Pat Jones Bridge, near the Cass County Fairgrounds, now offers trail users a direct route.
(photo/Bob Whitlock)
The bridge took years to plan and is part of Missouri’s growing trail system. It is named for Ted and Pat Jones, who played a key role in establishing Katy Trail State Park. According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the couple earned recognition as the “parents of the Katy Trail.” Ted Jones was inspired by a bicycle ride on a Wisconsin rail trail in the early 1980s. He envisioned transforming abandoned railroad corridors into trails the public could enjoy.
When the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad stopped operating along the Missouri River in 1986, the couple helped champion efforts to preserve the corridor despite opposition from landowners, legal challenges, and political obstacles. Their $2.2 million contribution helped Missouri acquire the railroad right-of-way and develop the trail.
Ted Jones saw the first 10-mile section of the Katy Trail come to fruition in April 1990, but he passed away six months later. His wife, Pat Jones, continued their conservation efforts until her death in 2018. The Katy Trail stretches about 240 miles across Missouri, and the vision Ted and Pat Jones shared continues long after their deaths.
Laura Allenhorn of Edward Jones told attendees at the bridge dedication that their involvement went beyond financial contributions. “They championed the vision. They actually walked the talk,” Allenhorn said. “They worked with the communities, the farmers, the partners, and in Jeff City.” The new bridge in Pleasant Hill is the final gift from Ted Jones’ estate to support Rock Island Trail State Park. “It is part of their living legacy,” Allenhorn said.
Pleasant Hill first celebrated the opening of its Rock Island Trailhead in 2016, but visitors still had to contend with the detour. Active railroad tracks separated the trailhead and the trail. Officials had a problem to solve, and thanks to funding from the Ted Jones Trust, they built a bridge. Dan Burkhardt, a Jones trustee and executive director of Magnificent Missouri, recalled visiting the site and asking how someone actually got onto the trail. He was told users had to travel roughly two miles along roads to reach it. “Thank God we were able to do something about that and create a more direct route,” Burkhardt said. He and the other Jones trustees had worked on the bridge project since 2018, helping bring together the organizations and resources needed to make the connection possible.
Construction began in December 2025 and was completed Sept. 24, after about 43 weeks of active construction. The bridge has 334 tons of steel, including weathering steel that develops a natural protective patina and eliminates the need for painting. The bridge also has a poured concrete deck to provide a durable surface for trail users. The project required coordination among Missouri State Parks, engineers, contractors, and the railroads.
For Pleasant Hill Mayor Don Donovan, the dedication was especially meaningful because it brought him back to another ribbon-cutting ceremony ten years earlier. Donovan was serving on the Pleasant Hill City Council in 2016 when the community celebrated the grand opening of the Rock Island Trailhead. “I remember that day, and I remember the excitement that we had about the trail and what it would mean for the future of this community,” Donovan said. At the time, the bridge was still only a dream, something supporters hoped would eventually become part of the trail system. “Ten years later, we’re standing here again,” Donovan recalled. “I’m here at another ribbon-cutting, but this time as mayor and actually getting to see that dream become reality,” Donovan said, adding that the bridge’s significance goes beyond providing a safer route for trail users. “This bridge is more than a safe passage,” he said. “It’s a connection between this community’s past and its future.”
State Rep. Bruce Sassmann, who traveled from Osage County for the dedication, emphasized that the project would benefit more than the immediate community. “Pleasant Hill is better off for it,” Sassmann said. “The Rock Island and Katy Trails are better because of it. And because this bridge is now an asset of the state of Missouri, the entire state is better for it.” Burkhardt also spoke about the bridge’s potential significance for Pleasant Hill, noting that dozens of communities across Missouri benefit from trails passing through them, but few have a structure as distinctive as the new bridge. He described it as a remarkable addition to the trail system and predicted it could become an iconic community landmark.
The dedication included another tribute to the Joneses before participants walked to the bridge for the official ribbon-cutting. As part of the ceremony, volunteers planted a young bur oak cloned from the famous McBaine Bur Oak growing near the Katy Trail beside the bridge. The original tree, recognized as a state-champion bur oak, is estimated to be about 350 years old. Measurements announced during the dedication show it has a circumference of 294 inches (about 24½ feet), a height of 74 feet, and a limb spread of 129 feet. Bur oaks were among Pat Jones’ favorite trees. The young tree will grow alongside a bridge designed to serve future generations and remind visitors of the Joneses’ contributions to the state’s parks and trails.
What began as a vision ten years ago is now a reality, giving Pleasant Hill residents and visitors a safer and more convenient way to enjoy the Rock Island Trail.