The St. Francis Levee Board announced this week that the Big River Levee Trail will be open this month and open again in March.
The board has approved an agreement that authorizes bicycle use of the entire levee (73 miles) from the Big River Crossing in West Memphis (Crittenden County) to Marianna (Lee County).
The Big River Strategic Initiative also announced two other projects that will be connected by the newly opened levee trail. These are the Big River Park, which is being developed now and already has seven miles of completed trail offering scenic views of the Mississippi River and the Memphis skyline; and enhanced trail amenities through the St. Francis National Forest.
In addition, the BRSI is working on improvements to another 42-mile section of trail from Marianna through the St. Francis National Forest and Helena-West Helena. The new section will connect to the Arkansas Delta Heritage Trail west of the city. It is funded, in part, by a $1.2 million dollar grant from the Walton Family Foundation.
When complete, the Big River Trail will stretch 115 miles from Big River Park in West Memphis to the Arkansas Delta Heritage Trail.
The ADHT extends another 30 miles south. Plans are to complete additional sections that will total more than 100 miles when completed.
Together, the BRT and the ADHT will offer more than 215 miles of continuous trail.
