Two projects in Northwest Indiana will receive a total of $31 million from the Trails Grants for Communities Across Indiana program.
The projects will create additional trails along the Marquette Greenway corridor in Porter County. The Marquette Greenway is a proposed 50-mile trail that will one day connect Chicago and New Buffalo, Michigan.
One project will add 0.82 miles of paved multi-use trail in Burns Harbor. The new trail will extend from the existing Marquette Greenway east of State Route 149 along the Little Calumet River. It will run beneath an active railroad line and toward Porter.
The second project will add 1.04 miles of paved trail to connect the Burns Harbor segment to the Porter Brickyard Trail at Howe Road. The Porter Brickyard Trail extends east to State Route 49, the Calumet Trail and Indiana Dunes National Park.
The $31 million in grant money will help create new trails in 14 communities in Indiana. The funding is part of the Next Level Trails program.
“Across the state, trails are making connections – bringing people and communities together in ways we’ve never seen before,” Gov. Holcomb said in a press release.
Next Level Trails has awarded grants to 89 different projects across Indiana, 32 of which are complete.
“The Next Level Trails program has elevated those connections with record trail funding and palpable energy,” Holcomb said. “Through $180 million across four rounds, we’re funding important infrastructure that is making an impact now and will continue to be felt for generations to come.”
Next Level Trails projects have created more than 97 miles of new trail in all corners of the state.
“Never before in our state have so many Hoosiers come together with the shared mission of connecting communities,” said Dan Bortner, DNR director.
Next Level Trails is part of the governor's $1 billion Next Level Connections infrastructure program. The program will improve highways and expand access to internet services in rural areas. It will also develop rail projects in Northwest Indiana. The program was introduced in 2018.
