From left: Sam Kaluzny, MAC Construction; Nathan Frey, Clark Dietz; Jack Kaufman, Southern Indiana Trailways; Drew Wright, Southern Indiana Trailways; Jeff Quyle, Radius; Congresswoman Erin Houchin; Salem Mayor Justin Greene; DNR’s Dale Brier.
(Courtesy of Indiana Department of Natural Resources)
The newest section of the Monon South Trail is now open in the town of Salem.
It runs just over three miles south of downtown Salem. It's paved for 2.8 miles and has half a mile of crushed stone surface. The trail is also home to an original restored L&N boxcar.
“The Monon South Trail is opening new sections at a rapid pace, with this new section in Salem opening just weeks after Borden’s trail section opened,” said Dale Brier, deputy director of community grants and trails for Indiana State Parks in a press release. “At DNR, we’re proud to financially support this trail’s construction, which will eventually be Indiana’s longest.”
More than 12 miles of the Monon South is now open to the public. Previous trail openings were in the towns of Mitchell, Orleans, and Borden.
Map of the Monon South corridor. (Courtesy of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources)
Indiana DNR purchased the 62.3 mile corridor on behalf of New Albany and Radius Indiana. It also granted Radius an additional $22.3 million for phase one development, which is expected to be completed by August.
43 of the state's 89 Next Level trail projects are complete, with another 22 under construction. Next Level Trails is the largest infusion of trails funding in state history. It has provided over $180 million in dedicated trail funding and more than 125 miles of new trails since its inception.
