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First Section of Monon South Trail Opens
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Radius Indiana marked the completion of the first section of Phase 1A of the Monon South Trail today.
The 1.27-mile multi-use trail extends from Stetson Street to Freeman’s Corner in the town of Orleans. Of that mileage, 1.18 miles of the trail surface is asphalt, and 0.09 miles is crushed aggregate. The project includes a new trailhead at Franklin Street with vehicle parking, a restroom, bike racks, and other trailhead amenities.
The segment is the first of five to open in Phase 1 of the Monon South project. In total, Phase 1 will build 20 miles of trail, including segments in Borden, New Pekin, Salem, Campbellsburg, Saltillo, and Mitchell.
“The development of the Monon South Trail will be a game changer for attracting massive interest in outdoor recreation across this five-county region in southern Indiana, connecting locals and visitors alike to these communities and the many attractions available along the way,” said Dan Bortner, DNR director. “With the opening of this first section of Indiana’s future longest recreational trail, we’re blazing new trails while preserving history and sparking new economic opportunities.”
The Monon South corridor follows a road survey commissioned by the Indiana Internal Improvements Act of 1836. In 1847, the Indiana General Assembly authorized a private railroad to build upon the route, and Gov. James Whitcomb signed a proclamation chartering the New Albany and Salem Railroad. By 1854, the railroad was complete from New Albany to Michigan City. In 1956, the railroad officially adopted the iconic Monon Railroad name.
CSXT, a successor to the Monon Railroad, last operated trains on this section of the line in 2008 and abandoned the rail line in 2018. Under a process known as railbanking, New Albany and Radius petitioned to negotiate with CSXT to acquire the out-of-service rail corridor for use as a recreational trail.
Next Level Trails (NLT) funded the purchase of the 62.3-mile corridor on behalf of New Albany and Radius Indiana for the combined sum of $5.5 million. DNR granted Radius with an additional $22.3 million to support development of the 20 miles in Phase 1. New Albany will own and manage the portion of the trail in Floyd County, and Radius Indiana will be responsible for the trail in Clark, Washington, Orange and Lawrence counties.
Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana, shared his enthusiasm for the community support of the trail, commenting, “The public support for this project has been positive and overwhelming. We're so pleased that the Department of Natural Resources, the city of New Albany, and Cook Group have been strong partners in the development of the Trail. Without their collaboration, we would not have been able to open this first segment of the Trail in 2024! We look forward to a busy 2025 as we open several more portions of the trail and begin to activate it for public.”
As part of Gov. Eric J. Holcomb’s Next Level Connections initiative, NLT is the largest infusion of trails funding in state history. The now $180 million program is administered by the DNR and facilitates critical trail connections within and between Hoosier communities. Forty-two of the 89 NLT projects are complete, totaling more than 113 miles of trail built since the program’s inception. Several projects are under construction, with many more slated to break ground during the next year.
More information about NLT is at on.IN.gov/NextLevelTrails.
The 1.27-mile multi-use trail extends from Stetson Street to Freeman’s Corner in the town of Orleans. Of that mileage, 1.18 miles of the trail surface is asphalt, and 0.09 miles is crushed aggregate. The project includes a new trailhead at Franklin Street with vehicle parking, a restroom, bike racks, and other trailhead amenities.
The segment is the first of five to open in Phase 1 of the Monon South project. In total, Phase 1 will build 20 miles of trail, including segments in Borden, New Pekin, Salem, Campbellsburg, Saltillo, and Mitchell.
“The development of the Monon South Trail will be a game changer for attracting massive interest in outdoor recreation across this five-county region in southern Indiana, connecting locals and visitors alike to these communities and the many attractions available along the way,” said Dan Bortner, DNR director. “With the opening of this first section of Indiana’s future longest recreational trail, we’re blazing new trails while preserving history and sparking new economic opportunities.”
The Monon South corridor follows a road survey commissioned by the Indiana Internal Improvements Act of 1836. In 1847, the Indiana General Assembly authorized a private railroad to build upon the route, and Gov. James Whitcomb signed a proclamation chartering the New Albany and Salem Railroad. By 1854, the railroad was complete from New Albany to Michigan City. In 1956, the railroad officially adopted the iconic Monon Railroad name.
CSXT, a successor to the Monon Railroad, last operated trains on this section of the line in 2008 and abandoned the rail line in 2018. Under a process known as railbanking, New Albany and Radius petitioned to negotiate with CSXT to acquire the out-of-service rail corridor for use as a recreational trail.
Next Level Trails (NLT) funded the purchase of the 62.3-mile corridor on behalf of New Albany and Radius Indiana for the combined sum of $5.5 million. DNR granted Radius with an additional $22.3 million to support development of the 20 miles in Phase 1. New Albany will own and manage the portion of the trail in Floyd County, and Radius Indiana will be responsible for the trail in Clark, Washington, Orange and Lawrence counties.
Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana, shared his enthusiasm for the community support of the trail, commenting, “The public support for this project has been positive and overwhelming. We're so pleased that the Department of Natural Resources, the city of New Albany, and Cook Group have been strong partners in the development of the Trail. Without their collaboration, we would not have been able to open this first segment of the Trail in 2024! We look forward to a busy 2025 as we open several more portions of the trail and begin to activate it for public.”
As part of Gov. Eric J. Holcomb’s Next Level Connections initiative, NLT is the largest infusion of trails funding in state history. The now $180 million program is administered by the DNR and facilitates critical trail connections within and between Hoosier communities. Forty-two of the 89 NLT projects are complete, totaling more than 113 miles of trail built since the program’s inception. Several projects are under construction, with many more slated to break ground during the next year.
More information about NLT is at on.IN.gov/NextLevelTrails.