FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 14, 2020
CONTACT:
Patricia Brooks, Patricia@matchmapmedia.com, 202.351.1757
New Miles Open on the Pennsy Greenway, Expanding Indiana’s Great American Rail-Trail Connection
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Joins Town of Schererville in Celebrating the Opening of 3.4 miles of new trail between Schererville and Munster
SCHERERVILLE, Indiana—Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) joined the Town of Schererville, Indiana, in celebrating the newest trail miles to be added to the Pennsy Greenway and the Great American Rail-Trail™ through Indiana. Completing this 3.4-mile segment of the Pennsy Greenway connects the trail between Schererville and Munster and completes a 10-mile portion of the Great American Rail-Trail running from Indiana to Lansing, Illinois.
“The opening of the trail couldn’t come at a better time with the upsurge in trail usage,” said John Novacich, Superintendent of the Schererville Park Department. “The public is realizing the importance and benefits of trails. “
The Pennsy Greenway connection is the latest announcement of progress along the preferred route of the Great American Rail-Trail. With the completion of this segment and the Veteran’s Memorial Trail that opened in June, the Indiana portion of the trail is now over half (54.2%) complete, with 116.1 miles of finished trail and 98.3 in progress.
“Filling this trail gap will have significant impact for Indiana and the nation,” said Eric Oberg, Midwest Regional Director of RTC. “This trail segment—just 3.4 miles of new trail—will multiply the economic and health impacts that this trail can deliver by significantly increasing the number of people who have access to green space, safe transportation routes, and safe places to walk and bike right in their community.”
The trail project is part of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission’s Greenways and Blueways Plan (2018) and was made possible with federal and local funding and public partnerships, including support from Canadian National Railway that made a crossing of its corridor possible, a key piece of this trail connection.
The Town of Schererville and the Schererville Board of Parks and Recreation will cut the ribbon on the trail at the Schererville Police Department trailhead at 9 a.m. on August 15.
To learn more about the Great American Rail-Trail and to view the preferred route, visit greatamericanrailtrail.org and follow @greatamericanrailtrail and #GRTAmerican on Facebook and Instagram.
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is the nation’s largest trails organization—with a grassroots community more than 1 million strong—dedicated to connecting people and communities by creating a nationwide network of public trails, many from former rail lines. Connect with RTC at railstotrails.org and @railstotrails on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
