Posted in Missouri January 12, 2021 by Beth Price-Williams

The Longest Tunnel In Missouri Has A Truly Fascinating Backstory

History hides just about everywhere we go in Missouri, often leaving us to uncover fascinating backstories when we’re up for digging a little bit. The longest tunnel in Missouri, for example, dates back to the early part of the 20th century. While it closed to train traffic decades ago, it’s now the highlight of a popular trail to which hikers flock.

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Stretching 446 feet, the Vale Tunnel in Kansas City served the Missouri Central Railroad, which shuttled passengers from Kansas City to St. Louis and vice-versa.

However, the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad built the tunnel, which opened in 1904, and has been called several different names, including the Vale Tunnel, the CRI&P Tunnel, and the Valley of Vale Tunnel.

Trains passed through the tunnel until 1980 when the Rock Island Railroad went bankrupt. As a result, the Vale Tunnel and the rail line were left abandoned.

For years the tunnel sat abandoned, overgrown, and largely forgotten. Then, in 2016, Jackson County bought the railroad line, which it hoped to transform into a hiking trail.

A 6.5-mile portion of the Rock Island Trail, which spans from Brickyard Road in Kansas City to Jefferson Street in Lee’s Summit, opened during the summer of 2019.

The trail currently has two trailheads – at Hartman Park in Lee’s Summit and at 12600 E 98th Street in Kansas City.

An additional section, which tallies seven miles, will be added to the trail in a second phase. That phase is expected to be complete in 2021.

When it is, it will feature three trailheads, and the trail will eventually span more than 200 miles across the state. (It will also include a link to the Katy Trail.)

Keep up to date with the progress of the Rock Island Trail and find a trail map on the official website of Jackson County, Missouri.

Did you know the backstory of the longest tunnel in Missouri? Have you hiked through it? Share your experience in the comments! Did you also know that the Christopher S. Bond Bridge is the tallest bridge in Missouri? (It’s definitely worth checking out.)

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