The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Radius Indiana recently marked the completion of the first section of Phase 1A of the Monon South Trail.
The 1.27-mile multi-use trail extends from Stetson Street to Freeman’s Corner in the town of Orleans. Of that mileage, 1.18 miles of the trail surface is asphalt, and 0.09 miles is crushed aggregate. The project includes a new trailhead at Franklin Street with vehicle parking, a restroom, bike racks, and other trailhead amenities.
The segment is the first of five to open in Phase 1 of the Monon South project. In total, Phase 1 will build 20 miles of trail, including segments in Borden, New Pekin, Salem, Campbellsburg, Saltillo, and Mitchell.
The Monon South corridor follows a road survey commissioned by the Indiana Internal Improvements Act of 1836. In 1847, the Indiana General Assembly authorized a private railroad to build upon the route, and Gov. James Whitcomb signed a proclamation chartering the New Albany and Salem Railroad. By 1854, the railroad was complete from New Albany to Michigan City. In 1956, the railroad officially adopted the iconic Monon Railroad name.
CSXT, a successor to the Monon Railroad, last operated trains on this section of the line in 2008 and abandoned the rail line in 2018. Under a process known as railbanking, New Albany and Radius petitioned to negotiate with CSXT to acquire the out-of-service rail corridor for use as a recreational trail.
Next Level Trails (NLT) funded the purchase of the 62.3-mile corridor on behalf of New Albany and Radius Indiana for the combined sum of $5.5 million. DNR granted Radius an additional $22.3 million to support the development of the 20 miles in Phase 1. New Albany will own and manage the portion of the trail in Floyd County, and Radius Indiana will be responsible for the trail in Clark, Washington, Orange, and Lawrence counties.
As part of Gov. Eric J. Holcomb’s Next Level Connections initiative, NLT is the largest infusion of trail funding in state history. The now $180 million program is administered by the DNR and facilitates critical trail connections within and between Hoosier communities. Forty-two of the 89 NLT projects are complete, totaling more than 113 miles of trail built since the program’s inception. Several projects are under construction, with many more slated to break ground during the next year.
More information about NLT is at on.IN.gov/NextLevelTrails.
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