IDOT Miss Rvr Trail PlanIowa Department of Transportation
P.O. Box 2646, Davenport, IA 52809 563-391-4643
Fax: 563-388-9266
Email: Frederick. Dean~dot.state.ia.us
September 26, 2003
Ref. No. 763, Mississippi
River Trail
The Honorable Terrance M. Duggan
Mayor of Dubuque
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001-4864
Dear Mayor Duggan:
Enclosed with this letter is a copy of Iowa's Mississippi River Trail (MRT) Plan. This plan was
prepared at the direction of the department by the Center for Transportation Research and
Education, Iowa State University. My purpose in writing you is to better acqua'mt you w/th the
plan and the Mississippi River Trail initiative. I would like to encourage you to review the plan
with appropriate city staff, as well as others in the community interested in the trail's
development.
There is presently a 10 state initiative underway to develop a continuous trail along the
Mississippi River from its headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The desired outcome
is for the trail to be situated as close to the river as possible. As such, the trail when fully
developed in the future would become a system ofintercormected trails. This accomplishment
will require the cooperation of municipal, county and state governments, and various trail
operators along the proposed route. The trail will include both on and off-road segments in order
to serve a diverse range of users from the expert rider to families with children.
The enclosed plan presents a recommended route through Iowa. As the route undergoes further
evaluation, changes are anticipated to occur, including multiple routes in selected areas.
Furthermore, the majority of the route as presently proposed is on-road versus off-road. As you
can see, there are route segments that would use the city's trail system.
The department has been visiting with the Natural Heritage Foundation, Metropolitan Planning
Organizations, Regional Planning Affiliations, and others to identify how we can work together
to develop the MRT in Iowa. We w/Il also be holding some regional meet'rags with interested
parties to discuss this project.
I welcome your thoughts, concerns, etc. in regards to the plan and the MRT initiative overall. If
you would like to discuss this in more detail, I would be happy to meet with you.
Sincerely,
Fred Dean
District 6
Highway Division
FWD:fwd
Enclosures