NRD Board approves route for MoPac East Connector Trail

A proposed trail connection between Lincoln and Omaha cleared another hurdle in the approval process Wednesday night.

More than a dozen trail advocates attended the Lower Platte South Natural Resource District Board of Directors meeting to express their support for the MoPac East Connector Trail.

The 10-mile proposed route would run alongside gravel roads in rural Cass County and connect with trail segments in the state’s largest metros.

Not everyone was happy with the proposal. Theresa Johnson owns property in Cass County next to the proposed route. She expressed concerns that the trail could lower her property value.

“We are called to be good stewards of our land, and this project is an invasion of our property and privacy,” she said. "The unknown design of the path could deface our home's historic appeal, and this path does not benefit our rural farming family in any way."

Most testifiers were in favor of the trail route and cited the economic and recreation benefits the trail could bring. Marie Gregoire, an avid trail user and member of the Board of Directors for Cass County Tourism, was among them.

"In my personal experience over the years, I have accounted for over half a million dollars in direct expenditures to organizations in Cass County because of the trail," she said.

The Lower Platte South NRD Board of Directors voted 14-4 in favor of the route proposal.

Julie Harris, the executive director of Bike Walk Nebraska, said it’s a very exciting step.

“This is a big day for us," she said. "This has been a long time coming for connectivity, for trails, for health and wellness, for the economic impact of the small towns in Cass County."

The trail is expected to cost around $15 million dollars to construct.

In 2022, the Nebraska Legislature allocated more than $8 million dollars to the project. Harris said the remainder of the money will be raised through grants and private donations.