Several floods in the 1940s and a lack of rural economic development in the region led communities and regional leaders to seek state and federal help to address water resource issues and pursue economic improvements associated with the Kaskaskia River. In the early 1960s, the Kaskaskia Industrial Development Corporation worked with local communities, counties, and state and federal agencies to promote the Kaskaskia River Navigation Project, which was authorized in 1962 for design and construction as a shared federal and state water resource project for regional economic development. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Department of Transportation designed and constructed the project, and the Corps became responsible for operating and maintaining the completed navigation project, which became operational in 1974. In 1965, Illinois authorized and chartered the Kaskaskia Regional Port District to develop river ports and economic development on the lower 36 miles of the channelized river, linked by lock and dam to the Mississippi River for transporting commodities into and out of the region. Today, the district manages five river port facilities and supports numerous river businesses, while the Illinois Department of Natural Resources manages about 20,000 acres of public lands and waters for fish, wildlife, and outdoor recreation, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates the 36-mile navigable channel, lock and dam, recreation facilities, and fish and wildlife management areas, including the Kaskaskia River Recreation Area. On June 10, 2014, the Kaskaskia River Lock and Dam was renamed the Jerry F. Costello Lock and Dam to honor Congressman Jerry Costello for his efforts and leadership in improving and sustaining the project's viability and benefits for the region and the nation. The K-C Trail, a 60-mile corridor through Randolph, Monroe, and St. Clair Counties, dates to Native American use as long ago as 11,000 BC, played an integral part in French colonization, remained a main road through Illinois statehood, and continues as a heavily traveled route in the Metro East St. Louis region.