River Trail Finally on Track

It`s only a matter of time before people in Central Arkansas and biking and jogging across the Arkansas River...high above the water. That`s because the River Trail liking Little Rock and North Little Rock is closer to becoming reality. The deputy director of Little Rock Parks and Recreation says they hope to start construction this summer, then it should take another year and a half. When complete, the River Trail will stretch across the Arkansas River at Murray Lock and Dam, down the North Little Rock trail, back across the river at the Rock Island Bridge by the Clinton Presidential Library. The bridge that will span the lock and dam will sit seven stories high from the water surface, so joggers and bikers will have quite a view of the river. That bridge alone is a $9 million project. Mark Webre with Little Rock Parks and Recreation says it`s all finally coming together because of the Headwaters Partnership. That`s the union formed through the state and national parks departments, both cities, Pulaski County and even the Arkansas Department of Health. "Arkansas` one of the most obese states in the nation. This is a chance to get people back out to start exercise," Webre said. Webre says the trail could also help with pollution if more peole could use it to bike to work. He says they still have some work to do on the Little Rock Trail and on the Rock Island Bridge, but the North Little Rock trail is complete. The entire loop will be 14 miles long.