Gov. Eric J. Holcomb has admirably pushed the expansion and development of trails throughout Indiana since the COVID-19 pandemic raised the demand for outdoor recreation, health and wellness. His Next Level Trails program has committed $102 million toward trail projects, including a $554,000 Griffin Bike Park trail in Vigo County and the $5 million Parke Community Rail Trail from Rockville to the Vigo County line. In an effort to align with the Governor's state-wide initiative, the Vigo County Commissioners have placed a great deal of importance on the construction of new trails and the extension and development of existing trails. $525,000 in ARPAÂ funding have been allocated to the construction of Riley Trail, $300,000 have been allocated to the Old Paris Trail extension, and $175,000 will be utilized for development at the Dewey Point Overlook.
Riley Trail will improve Vigo County residents’ health and wellness, making the community a more enticing place to live, work and play. Riley Trail would be converted from the Riley Spur Rail Road into a six-mile long trail beginning near Riley all the way to the Idle Creek subdivision in eastern Vigo County. There are long-term plans to build other trails to connect to the Riley Trail spanning across Vigo County; the Old Paris Road extension in West Terre Haute exemplifies those plans.
The many great trails within Vigo County encourage our community to focus on their physical and mental wellness. Creating additional opportunities to explore the great outdoors with a goal to aid in the well-being and health of the community is something the Commissioners have placed an extremely high prioritization on.