“Farm Heritage Trail” is the overall title for a possibly 50-plus-mile north-south corridor that will stretch from Zionsville, near Indianapolis, to Lafayette. Some sources also want to target the north terminus for Prophetstown State Park, northeast of Lafayette where the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers merge.With connections coming from Indianapolis, in addition to possible links with northern Indiana, Chicago and Michigan, this route may eventually tie trail users into an even longer hike or ride opportunity.
Projects for funding are ongoing in several sectors. Late last year the main support group, Friends of Boone County Trails—submitted initial paperwork for environmental statements to the Boone County Commissioners. This step is necessary in order to apply and/or receive government funding to purchase property on the proposed route, specifically, for the Lebanon- Whitestown-Zionsville segment.
If you have driven south on Interstate 65 from Indianapolis to Louisville , then you have crossed the eastern edge of an area known as Muscatatuck Bottoms. Its main expanse—some 25,600 acres, is west of I-65, where the two forks of the Muscatatuck River merge. The Bottoms that are visible from the interstate are south of Austin , where the large power-line towers always seem to have their feet in flooded woods and fields. Last summer, Governor Mitch Daniels announced plans for conservation of these wetlands. Their eventual protected status will plan for public access trails that foster appreciation of lands that still support climax forest species, large migrations of waterfowl, and serve as watershed for over one-thousand square miles of southeast Indiana . The Knobstone Trail extension will have to cross the Bottoms area when completed.
For several years now, Ohio River communities in Southern Indiana and Kentucky have been working on pedestrian and bicycle projects that will connect Jeffersonville , Clarksville , and New Albany on the north bank, with Louisville to the south. This week, a jolt of good news from governors and mayors on both sides of the river gave watchers of this project reason to cheer.
The Big Four Bridge was a railroad crossing, built in 1895 and closed in 1969, of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St Louis company. The city of Jeffersonville has now pledged $2 million, along with Indiana ’s $8 million, in order to build a ramp up to the Big Four on the Indiana side. In addition, Kentucky pledged $12 million to complete the needed bridge decking. A spiral ramp approach on the Louisville side was finished last year.
The bridge refurbishing will put into place a major connector piece between trails and alternative transportation modes through the Kentucky and Indiana river communities here. A news release from newly-elected Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said construction of the Indiana-side ramp could begin later this year. Completion of the entire project is hoped to come by 2013.
Waterfront trails, parks, and the Big Four project have been ongoing on both sides of the Ohio River . This latest announcement comes at a time when city and state governments north and south have been looking for ways to decrease costs of two new bridge projects planned at Louisville in order to reduce congestion on the main Interstate 65 crossing there. Putting bike and ped access on the Big Four Bridge may enable cost-cutting measures on the other bridges, if they do not have to be built with non-car considerations. Currently, the older U. S. 31 or Second Street Clark Memorial Bridge does allow pedestrian and bicycle use.
After several hopeful but slow starts, the push to get a national bicycle route system (or USBRS) in the United States seems now to have reached a critical mass. Briefly reviewing, the year 1976 celebrated a Bikecentennial Trail which was initiated by the bicycling group with the same name.
If you burn off energy by getting outside or find inspiration from trails work and exploration, maybe you would enjoy serving on Indiana ’s Trails Advisory Board. From time to time, the state’s Department of Natural Resources announces openings on this board through its Division of Outdoor Recreation.
Concluding a ten year long trail development, the northern portion of the Nickel Plate Trail opened with a ribbon cutting ceremonies with the main celebration in Denver, Indiana last Saturday, October 2 at 12:30 local time.
$3.4 Million Promotes Walking and Biking to 39 Indiana Schools.
INDIANAPOLIS – Students will soon find it safer to walk or bike to 39 Indiana schools thanks to $3.4 million in awards announced today by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) and the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). Now in its fifth year, Indiana’s Safe Routes to School program promotes walking and biking among schoolchildren by investing Federal transportation funds in approved engineering, education and enforcement programs.
The Hoosier Rails to Trails Council (HRTC), had a prominent presence at this years’ forty third Hilly Hundred the premier ride and fundraiser of the Central Indiana Bicycling Coalitions.
Set in the splendor of the rolling hills of southern Indiana, the “Hilly” draws crowds of cyclists from all over the U.S.
Features of the two day ride include thousands of feet of climb and descent with total course distance at just over 100 miles.
A booth display described HRTC involvement in planning the Indiana segment of the cross U.S. bicycle route system (USBRS)*, the Indiana trails website, and the organizations’ bike/ped advocacy .
Visitors from as far away as Georgia and Oregon, Washington State, Delaware and New York along with fellow Hoosiers, shared stories and received information about Indiana trails, website references and trail building information at the booth. The interactive booth allowed for favored trails tracing on an Indiana map and offered a looped computer display of the trail videography of Guido Maregatti from the website.
Over 5400 participants and volunteers enjoyed making new friends, facing challenges, overcoming obstacles and having plenty of fun at this most celebrated event of the Indiana cycling community.
*The U. S. Bicycle Route System is a proposed system of interstate corridors connecting the United States sponsored by AASHTO, (the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials), and Adventure Cycling.
Mario Vian
A TRAIL OF A DIFFERENT COLOR—FOLLOWING THE BLUE LINE POGUE
Trails don’t always have to be paved, or even gravel, stone, or shaved grass in order to allure wandering feet down their winding tracks. Ever since the early 1900s, the Indianapolis creek called Pogues Run has, for a good part of its length, been doomed to meander a subterranean bed. It was routed through an underground aqueduct as the city grew over it. But it’s still there, and meander it does. However, thanks to project artist Sean Derry’s efforts, the Pogue no longer has to be forgotten under our cars and economies.
If plans hold, the Lima Road Trail under construction will eventually connect the northwestern part of Fort Wayne, Indiana to Huntertown, Indiana.
The trail system will tie some heavily commercialized roadways, notably Lima Road/Highway 3 and Dupont Road in northern Fort Wayne to scenic areas, providing new commercial and recreational cycling and pedestrian venues along established vehicular transportation corridors.
During this year (2010), the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), will pour 8 foot wide pavements on both sides of Lima Road/Highway 3, during the road widening efforts currently underway for the one and one half miles from Broadmoor Drive to Dupont Road, going north.
If you're planning a remote trail hike in Southern Indiana, such as in Deam Wilderness, or the Knobstone, you may already be aware that there was a DNR-confirmed news release and photograph in May this year of a cougar in Greene County, not far west of some of these well-hiked areas. This Greene County picture was taken by DNR personnel who set up a camera system where the animal had been sighted.
There have been sightings and scat reported in Michigan for some time, and last year in Clay County, Indiana. The Indiana DNR cannot tell if Indiana's confirmed information was that of a wild cougar or one possibly released from captivity.
In any case, DNR's Gary Langell reminds concerned hikers who may be in a position to encounter one, the mountain lion does not stalk its prey. Rather, they wait near an area, for example, that is regularly traveled by deer or other game.
The last reported sighting of a wild cougar in Indiana was some 150 years ago. For further information on mountain lions and their behavior, see www.easterncougarnet.org/. To report a sighting in your area, get in touch with the conservation officer nearest you. Clear photographs are helpful as well.
Off and Running: The B & O Trail
As previously promised, Hoosier Rails to Trails Council will attempt to answer a number of inquiries about local trails presented at the Earth Day celebration at White River State Park in Indianapolis this year.
Between 200 and 300 visitors who stopped by our booth received information about rail -trails and other types of trails and the HRTC website and many grabbed a copy of the latest HRTC newsletter.
The most frequently asked about trail was the B & O Trail on Indianapolis' extreme west side.
Trail builders and enthusiasts in Fort Wayne have been some of the busiest in the state when it comes to manifesting their community’s trail network plans. With Indiana ’s second largest metropolis, Allen County residents want to do more to connect non-motorized transport in various parts of the city and region.
It is about 7:30 on this bright but overcast morning. Squad cars parked on side streets have their red and blue lights on as I approach the intersection.
Children accompanied by parents and grandparents from four different directions converge on the school building, under the watchful eyes of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
The schoolyard in the aging neighborhood of middle, upper middle and upper class homes has cops, newspeople an overhead helicopter and a curious number of cyclists milling around.
HRTC staff recently took a weekend tour of the Southwestern toe of the state.
We launched an inspection and discovery tour of the bike routes, lanes, trailways developed and under development in the Evansville area, and following trail holdings of our sister agency, the Indiana Trails Fund, Inc.
Upon our arrival we met with the gracious folks of the Evansville Metropolitan Planning Organization, formerly known as the Evansville Urban Transportation Study (U.T.E.S.).
David Stensaas, Transportation Planner, the ‘bike-ped go-to guy’ according to Brad Mills, Executive Director of the MPO, provided Jane Conrad, Guido Maregatti and Mario Vian a knowledgeable and intense description of the trails in and around the Evansville area, as well as trail proposals and the likelihood of their completion.
Right before Christmas, Hoosier Rails to Trails Council interviewed Andy Lutz, Indianapolis Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator (a part of the Indianapolis Department of Public Works). We sought news on what might appear next for Indianapolis, our headquarters and Indiana’s most populous city, on the heels of the latest striping of a bicycle lane on the city’s northeast side.
“Farm Heritage Trail” is the overall title for a possibly 50-plus-mile north-south corridor that will stretch from Zionsville, near Indianapolis, to Lafayette. Some sources also want to target the north terminus for Prophetstown State Park, northeast of Lafayette where the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers merge.With connections coming from Indianapolis, in addition to possible links with northern Indiana, Chicago and Michigan, this route may eventually tie trail users into an even longer hike or ride opportunity.
If you have driven south on Interstate 65 from Indianapolis to Louisville , then you have crossed the eastern edge of an area known as Muscatatuck Bottoms. Its main expanse—some 25,600 acres, is west of I-65, where the two forks of the Muscatatuck River merge. The Bottoms that are visible from the interstate are south of Austin , where the large power-line towers always seem to have their feet in flooded woods and fields. Last summer, Governor Mitch Daniels announced plans for conservation of these wetlands. Their eventual protected status will plan for public access trails that foster appreciation of lands that still support climax forest species, large migrations of waterfowl, and serve as watershed for over one-thousand square miles of southeast Indiana . The Knobstone Trail extension will have to cross the Bottoms area when completed.
For several years now, Ohio River communities in Southern Indiana and Kentucky have been working on pedestrian and bicycle projects that will connect Jeffersonville , Clarksville , and New Albany on the north bank, with Louisville to the south. This week, a jolt of good news from governors and mayors on both sides of the river gave watchers of this project reason to cheer.
The Hoosier Rails to Trails Council (HRTC), had a prominent presence at this years’ forty third Hilly Hundred the premier ride and fundraiser of the Central Indiana Bicycling Coalitions.
Trails don’t always have to be paved, or even gravel, stone, or shaved grass in order to allure wandering feet down their winding tracks. Ever since the early 1900s, the Indianapolis creek called Pogues Run has, for a good part of its length, been doomed to meander a subterranean bed. It was routed through an underground aqueduct as the city grew over it. But it’s still there, and meander it does. However, thanks to project artist Sean Derry’s efforts, the Pogue no longer has to be forgotten under our cars and economies.
If plans hold, the Lima Road Trail under construction will eventually connect the northwestern part of Fort Wayne, Indiana to Huntertown, Indiana.
If you're planning a remote trail hike in Southern Indiana, such as in Deam Wilderness, or the Knobstone, you may already be aware that there was a DNR-confirmed news release and photograph in May this year of a cougar in Greene County, not far west of some of these well-hiked areas. This Greene County picture was taken by DNR personnel who set up a camera system where the animal had been sighted.
It is about 7:30 on this bright but overcast morning. Squad cars parked on side streets have their red and blue lights on as I approach the intersection.
