Cass County, Nebraska • Transportation + Regional Planning
CRPL 840: Planning Methods and Analysis • 2025

• The MoPac East Trail Extension Research Report examines how the former Missouri Pacific Railroad corridor influences mobility, community development, and local economic conditions across rural communities in Cass County and eastern Nebraska. The study focuses on Walton, Eagle, Elmwood, Wabash, South Bend, Louisville, and Springfield.
• Using a mixed-methods approach, the research combines demographic and housing data, business trends, trail-user surveys, stakeholder interviews, and field observations to examine changes associated with trail development and determine how future connections could support broader community goals.
• The findings position the MoPac Trail as more than recreational infrastructure. It also functions as an emerging regional mobility corridor, connecting communities while supporting tourism, community events, local businesses, and opportunities for active transportation. The analysis identifies shared rural challenges, including aging populations and automobile dependence, alongside community-specific opportunities associated with improved trail access.
• A critical finding is the unfinished Wabash–South Bend connection, which interrupts corridor continuity and limits the trail's potential as a connected regional system. Completing this gap and strengthening connections between trail access points and community centers could improve bicycle and pedestrian mobility while supporting economic activity and quality of life.
• The research ultimately examines the trail as regional infrastructure, demonstrating how transportation investment, rural community development, economic resilience, recreation, and quality of life can be addressed through coordinated corridor planning.