Descriptions of Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects
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Descriptions of Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects |
Elkhart County
City of Elkhart
Oakland Avenue - from Franklin Street to Indiana Avenue
Indiana Avenue - from Oakland Avenue to Sterling Avenue
Sterling Avenue - from Indiana Avenue to Hively Avenue
Hively Avenue to Oxbow Park
Elkhart Riverwalk
The facility will also have a spur off of Indiana Ave. at Ashland Avenue and go through Pierre Moran Park and school and then down to Hawthorn Drive to the branch library. These routes total over 3 miles in the heart of Elkhart.
The first three segments (Phase I) consists of bicycle lanes on both sides of the street that will vary between 4 and 7 feet. The second phase will link Elkhart to Goshen via a bicycle trail. This route will provide a linkage to Oxbow Park. The completed project will connect to a similar project already programmed for funding from Goshen's Maple City Greenway to Oxbow Park. Estimated construction for the Oakland Ave., Indiana Ave. and Sterling routes is anticipated to occur in 2000-2001. The connection to Oxbow Park is programmed for 2002-2003.
Elkhart also has an
extensive riverwalk system running through the downtown area. The
riverwalk passes through High Dive Park, Pulaski Park, Beardsley Island, and
Bicentennial Park. The system then connects to American Park via Waterfall
Drive. There is also a strip of bicycle/pedestrian path along the Elkhart
River near Studebaker Park.
City of Goshen
The Maple City Greenway is a separated bicycle and pedestrian network throughout the City of Goshen. The first two phases of this six phased network were constructed in the summer of 1997. These phases connect residential areas to city parks including Shanklin Park, Shoup-Parsons Woods, and Abshire Park; schools including both the Goshen Middle and High Schools and Goshen College; the Goshen Library; and the downtown area. A large portion of this trail runs along the scenic historic Mill Race and by the Powerhouse which was once used for producing electricity. The city of Goshen is currently (2002) seeking funding for a segment connecting the Mill Race portion of the network to the U.S. Post Office in downtown Goshen via a riverwalk.
The final four phases will extend the network to the northeast, northwest, and south. The northeast segment will occur along the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail (an abandoned railroad corridor) extending to the Elkhart County Fairgrounds and to the City of Middlebury. The northwest segment will parallel CR 45 to Oxbow County Park and on to the City of Elkhart's bicycle network. The southern segment will run parallel to SR 15 along an abandoned railroad track to Waterford Elementary School. The Pumpkinvine phase from the Goshen city limits to CR 28 opened in the summer of 2000. Once completed, the Goshen Bike and Pedestrian Network will total over 17 miles.
The City of Goshen has been awarded the Indiana Bicycle Coalition's "Bicycle Friendly Community" Award for the Maple City Greenway in 1999.
City of Nappanee
The Nappanee Bicycle Network will be a complete circular system around the city, running along US 6, CR 7, CR 52, CR 101, SR 19. The finished network will include approximately 8 miles of path to be made with different surfaces, including brick pavers, concrete, and asphalt, with the width varying depending on location. As an example, the path will be visually separated along US 6 with a 2 foot section of brick pavers and the total width will be 8 feet. Phase I of the project is completed and connects the downtown area with residential areas, Woodview Elementary School, a golf course, and a city park and recreation area. The SR 19 link connects Northwood High School to the northern part of the residential area in downtown. Phase II consists of a pathway extends south of Nappanee running along Jackson Street to Kosciusko CR 1350. Phase III is currently funded by CMAQ and is in the planning stages. It will complete the circular system and connect the entire city with schools, parks, industrial parks, Amish Acres, Bonkholder Dutch Village, residential areas, and a proposed soccer complex. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2003.
St. Joseph County
City of South Bend
The Northside Boulevard Trail and the East Bank Walkway comprise a separated bicycle and pedestrian network in South Bend. The trail begins near the Madison Center, just north of LaSalle Street. and extends south along the St. Joseph River to the Twyckenham Bridge, just west of Indiana University at South Bend (IUSB). This trail connects the central business district in South Bend to Howard Park, the River Park neighborhood area, and IUSB. Construction has recently begun to extend the trail north of Madison Center to Howard Street. CMAQ and TE funds were programmed for this segment. The new segment will connect to an existing path from Howard Street to Angela Boulevard.
The City of South Bend is also in the planning stage for The Riverside Trail, which would extend from Angela Boulevard along Riverside Drive to the Darden Road bridge. Extending the trail to the east toward the River St. Joseph of the Miamis Trail in Mishawaka is also under consideration.
St. Joseph County
The St. Joseph County Parks Department is seeking Recreational Trails funds to continue the South Bend Northside Boulevard Trail and East Bank Walkway as The LaSalle Trail even further north along an abandoned railroad just west of US 31. The LaSalle Trail currently extends from the Toll Road access road to Cleveland Road. Plans indicate the trail will eventually extend all the way to the Michigan state line.
The Darden Road Bicycle and Pedestrian Path is being built in conjunction with road reconstruction along Darden Road between Laurel Road, just east of the new Darden Street Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge, and US 933. (The Darden Street Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge was constructed in 1994.) The Darden Road project includes the construction of sidewalks and bicycle lanes along the three-quarter mile stretch of road. The project will be part of the overall signed bicycle route system in the county. This system will connect residential areas west of the St. Joseph River to the US 933 commercial area. The signed route will extend to Clay High School. The project is scheduled for construction in spring 2001.
The Former Jackson Landfill Bicycle Path will provide a link between the City of South Bend and the Regional Bicycle Route Network south of the city. Work on this project is scheduled to begin in 2004.
City of Mishawaka
The River St. Joseph of the Miamis Trail is a four phased bicycle and pedestrian network in downtown Mishawaka. The project will complete a circular bicycle and pedestrian transportation system along the St. Joseph River, including the area around the former Uniroyal site. The network will total over 1.75 miles of bike and pedestrian trails. It will connect the downtown central business district (with over 2,000 employees) to four neighborhoods (Lincoln Park, Mary Phillips, Central Park, and Merrifield). These neighborhoods represent a total population of 7,380 people living in 3,309 housing units (1990 Census data). Plans include three bridges. Two of the pedestrian bridges will provide access to Kamm Island. The third bridge will provide access across the trail at the midpoint of the system.
The first phase on the north bank of the river was completed in late 1999. Construction on the second phase is currently underway. Design for the third phase began in January 2000 and is expected to be under construction in 2002 or 2003.
This network is an integral part of the Uniroyal brownfield redevelopment project. The demolition of the formal Uniroyal buildings opened up more than 3,000 feet of river frontage (a 43 acre site) for potential office, residential, commercial, and recreational uses, all of which will be bike and pedestrian friendly.
Marshall County
Marshall County currently has four signed bicycle routes southwest of Plymouth. All of the routes begin at Webster School (1101 South Michigan) in Plymouth. The yellow route is 16 miles long and extends to Chief Menominee and back to Plymouth. The blue route is 31 miles long and goes to Culver, Chief Menominee, and back. The green route is 41 miles long and includes Culver, Lake Maxinkuckee, Chief Menominee, and Plymouth. The orange route is the longest, at 63 miles, and extends to Culver, around the lake, to Ancilla College, to Chief Menominee, and returns to Plymouth. Maps of the routes are available through the Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau, (574) 936-9000, or toll free at 1-800-626-5353. Maps of the routes are also available at the Convention and Visitors Bureau website.
Plymouth
The City of Plymouth is currently planning the Plymouth Greenways Project. This project is being planned in three phases. Phase I will extend from southeast of US Highway 30 along the Yellow River to Jefferson Street in downtown Plymouth. Phase I will also include a segment through Centennial Park that is currently designated as a Whitehouse Millennium Trail. Phase II and Phase III will extend the trail southeast through Plymouth and on to Dixon Lake via an abandoned rail corridor. Transportation Enhancement funding for Phase I was awarded in 2001.
Transportation Enhancement Program
Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) Program
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
If you have any
questions about any of these bicycle and pedestrian projects, please contact MACOG at
(574)
674-8894 or e-mail us at macogdir@macog.com.