LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Indiana's governor wants to "preserve a piece of Hoosier history" by developing what will be the longest contiguous recreational trail in the state, spanning five southern counties.
During his State of the State address from the capitol in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced that the state Department of Natural Resources will award $29.5 million to acquire and construct the 62.3-mile Monon South Trail.
"Indiana is continuing to blaze new trails in conservation and outdoor recreation — and today, we're excited to announce we're blazing our longest trail yet, connecting communities across Southern Indiana," Holcomb said. "The Monon South Trail will preserve a piece of our Hoosier history will promoting quality of place in our rural communities."
The trail will follow the route of the historic Monon Railroad, starting in New Albany and spanning five southern Indiana counties: Floyd, Clark, Washington, Orange and Lawrence, the DNR said in a news release.
Monon South Trail will be 62.3 miles long and cover five southern Indiana counties. (Indiana Department of Natural Resources map)
The railroad route travels through several communities including Borden, New Pekin, Salem, Campbellsburg, Saltillo, Orleans and Mitchell. The DNR said about 440,000 people live within 10 miles of the trail path.
Officials said the trail's corridor "follows a road survey commissioned by the Indiana Internal Improvements Act of 1836," which was followed by the 1847 Indiana General Assembly's authorization of a private railroad to be built along the route. Then-Gov. James Whitcomb signed a proclamation which charted the New Albany and Salem Railroad, officials said. The railroad was constructed from the southern Indiana city to Michigan City by 1854, and adopted its "iconic Monon Railroad name" in 1956, according to the DNR.
CSXT "last operated trains on this section of the line" in 2008 before abandoning it in 2018.
A historical marker for the New Albany and Salem Railroad (The Monon) at the corner of Bank Street and Culbertson Avenue in downtown New Albany. (Indiana Historical Bureau photo)
The DNR led acquisition negotiations with CSX Transportation as part of the state's Next Level Trails initiative. Through a process called "railbanking," the city of New Albany and Radius Indiana "petitioned to negotiate with CSXT to acquire the out-of-service rail corridor" for recreational use as a trail.
Next Level Trails, a $150 million program administered by the DNR, will provide $5.5 million to purchase the corridor on behalf of New Albany and Radius Indiana, according to a news release.
"Through the development of the Monon South Trail, we are transforming the historic economic engine of rail into a future-focused economic engine of a trail that will help us attract new talent and business to the state," Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana, said in a news release.
Additionally, New Albany will "own and manage" the portion of the trail that runs through Floyd County, while Radius Indiana will take on responsibilities for the remaining four counties.
New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan said the city will start construction on their portion of the trail this year.
"So it's not going to happen overnight, but it serves as this large, regional project we can all get behind, all the burgs and 'villes' and counties to get behind and really make it something special," said Gahan.
The city and Radius Indiana will receive an additional $24 million in funding from Next Level Trails to start designing, engineering and constructing portions of the trail in an effort to "jumpstart the trail's development," the DNR said.
"It continues to be an exciting time to live in New Albany. The new Monon South Trail brings fresh connections to our river city and for our neighbors throughout the region," Gahan said.
To learn more about Next Level Trails, its projects and updates, click here.
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