LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A popular walking trail in downtown Little Rock has been washing away into the Arkansas River— and while the city works to fix it, there are also plans to expand the trail system.
"We walk the trail every morning and every evening," Andrew Appler said
During a walk last week, Appler explained that he stumbled upon a part of the Medical Mile that was blocked off.
"It's a pretty sheer drop-off. So I would not be surprised if it caved in more," Appler said.
He said that he first noticed it last Wednesday.
Even though it changes his normal walk, he still looks forward to when it will be fixed, along with a bigger project to expand the trail.
"That was kind of one of my, my buying points on getting this condo up here was just the connectivity of the trail system," he said.
John Landosky coordinates bike and pedestrian projects for the city of Little Rock.
He said plans are in the works to create a ramp connection between the bike and pedestrian bridge over the Union Pacific tracks. Also, to connect the Arkansas River Trail to the Southwest Trail.
"The Southwest trail is going to go from Little Rock to Hot Springs," Landosky said.
That trail would come out to be 63 miles long when completed.
"So, if we want this to be a revenue-generating stream for wanting to show off the core of our city, we need to make that connection," he said.
Landosky explained that it could take a few more years until the project is complete, but it has been moving along.
"We were just out there yesterday scouting out the connection from where we're talking about that. That ramp to garland street," he said.
Overall, Landosky said that the project will give cyclists and walkers a safer and more enjoyable trail experience.
"If we can create a 63-mile trail with very little interaction with vehicles, you're gonna see a lot of revenue from that," he said.
Little Rock's Civil Engineering Manager said that they're aware of the erosion, but repairing that portion of the trail could take a few months.