By: Delaware County Redevelopment Commission—
Muncie, IN – Three miles of new walking and biking trails south of the city, serving fast-developing areas, are planned by Delaware County officials.
The Muncie Industria Center Trail, which will connect residents of the south side of Muncie to the Ivy Tech Community College campus, industrial areas and the new Delaware County Justice Center complex, is a project created and led by the Delaware County commissioners.
The trail, estimated in cost at about $3.3 million, should be completed before the end of 2020, the commissioners announced.
The Delaware County commissioners championed the project, which was approved by the Delaware County Redevelopment Commission. The redevelopment commission on June 11 awarded a $3.297 million contract for construction of the trail to United Construction Services of Delaware County.
“The commissioners determined there was a need for a walking, running and biking trail on the south side of Muncie,” Commissioner James King said.
“The south side of Muncie is under-served for trails for residents to use and enjoy,” King said. “This trail will not only provide a recreational outlet for residents but a way for employees of the many businesses in the area to ride their bikes to work. It’s a win all the way around.”
King spearheaded the project and was joined by fellow commissioners Shannon Henry and Sherry Riggin. King not only serves on the board of commissioners, but he is also president of the Delaware County Redevelopment Commission and county CREED board. The trail is in a CREED district and CREED funding is the mechanism used for the project.
The Muncie Industria Center Trail, made from asphalt materials and ten feet wide, will be built along major thoroughfares just south of and leading into the city limits, giving recreational opportunities to bicyclists, walkers and runners and providing safe passage to thousands of people who work along the way.
The trail will serve the southside campus of Ivy Tech Community College, the Industria Centre industrial park and businesses including Magna PowerTrain, Progress Rail Services, Midwest Metal Products, the United States Postal Service mail processing and distribution center, D.I.Y. Group, Vectren Energy Delivery, Attlin Construction, Diamond Plastics Corporation, the Red Dog Saloon and the under-construction Delaware County Justice Center, where the county’s new jail and courts and related offices will be located.
A trailhead is planned at the Justice Center.
The Thomas Park/Avondale residential neighborhood will also be served by the new trail, as will homes south of the Justice Center complex.
The trail will run for a mile along Cowan Road, about a mile on 26thStreet and a mile along Tillotson Avenue.
The trail should be substantially complete – with construction of hard surfaces done – before the end of the year, said Sam Weber of VS Engineering, the Indiana company that designed the trail.
The Muncie Industria Center Trail project is funded by proceeds from CREED (Community Revitalization Enhancement Districts), an Indiana program that enables communities to designate CREED districts through which local tax money from within the district can be used for enhancement projects within the district.
The commissioners have also applied for funding from the state of Indiana’s Next Level Trails program.
