On Thursday, Governor Eric Holcomb announced the Town of Plainfield is one of eighteen communities to receive Round 2 funding of the State of Indiana’s Next Level Trails Grant. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources created the Next Level Trails program to financially support the development of regionally and locally significant trails throughout Indiana. The Town of Plainfield will use the awarded $1,712,000 to extend the existing Vandalia Trail 2.3 miles.
The Vandalia Trail is part of the National Road Heritage Trail (NRHT), a cross-state trail project envisioned to stretch 150 miles from Terre Haute to Richmond using the former Pennsylvania and Vandalia rail corridors. The Trail closely follows the Historic National Road (US40/Plainfield’s Main Street) for much of its route. The Vandalia Trail extension will complete the National Road Heritage Trail across the entire width of Plainfield. The extension will improve connectivity east of the Township Line Road trailhead to the Hendricks County/Marion County line, where the new Raceway Road monument sits.
“The Town of Plainfield is excited to make this final connection of the Vandalia Trail within the Town’s limits,” said Town Manager, Andrew Klinger. “We look forward to working with Hendricks County in the future on our shared vision for connecting Plainfield’s trail to sections of the National Road Heritage Trail built by the County.”
The grant for Plainfield is also good news for Avon and Brownsburg because a new section of trail near US 40 will connect to trail along Reagan Parkway and link trails together in all three towns.
“On behalf of the Town Council, we are grateful the State saw the value in investing in our trails masterplan,” said Robin Brandgard, the Town of Plainfield Town Council President. “Plainfield is known regionally for our trails, parks and our Splash Island Waterpark, and we are eager to expand our trail network to create a more accessible community for those who live, work and play here.”
Planning and design for the project is set to begin immediately with construction activity targeted to get underway in 2022.
Edited Press Release