Holiday lighting tonight marks progress on the Riverfront Heritage Trail

With the progress on the Trails KC plan and several ribbon cuttings for new cycling connections and pedestrian bridges, it hasn’t been a bad year for folks who commute by motor-less means. But if there’s one project that has tested the faith of even the most patient cycling activists, it’s the Riverfront Heritage Trail.

As 2009 comes to a close, the completion of the RHT — meant to be a history tour, tourist draw and downtown bike-path hub running from Berkley Park in Missouri to Kaw Point in Kansas — is five years past due.

But, hark, cycling advocates: a holiday present! Darby Trotter, the president of the nonprofit Kansas City Rivertrails and guy in charge of the RHT, says there is new momentum behind the snail-paced project. “Some parts of the trail are in really good shape and some parts are chugging along slowly,” he says. “But the riverfront has shown sudden life.”

And you’re invited to celebrate — free appetizers included — at the Town of Kansas Bridge tonight.