Indiana Explores Trail-Building Challenges:

At a November 8 workshop in Peru, Ind., called "Perils and Pitfalls of Trail Building," planners and advocates explored wide-ranging issues of trail building from proper design and construction to Indiana Department of Transportation (DOT) and federal Transportation Enhancements (TE) funding. The Friends of the Nickel Plate Trail and the Indiana Parks and Recreation Association hosted the event, which included presentations from elected officials and other influential members of Indiana's trails community.
 
The first half of the program focused on the local Nickel Plate Trail and its various stages of progress through rural and urban settings. Participants visited completed sections of the Nickel Plate Trail, segments under construction, and urban challenges where planners will have to negotiate roads and other shared-space concerns before finishing the project.
 
Yet perhaps the most instructive presentation, says Eric Oberg, manager of trail development at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's (RTC) Midwest Regional Office, featured Phil Tevis from the Cardinal Greenway. Tevis shared insights from his experiences successfully using TE funding through multiple years of trail construction. He stressed, in particular, the importance of completing one environmental assessment for the entire corridor at the beginning of the project, rather than one for each phase. And if possible he recommended acquiring the land before applying for TE funds.
 
"It was a good presentation for how to streamline the funding process, and how to make it easier for trail builders," Oberg says. "There had to be 50-70 people, just jam-packed. You couldn't have put another person in there. It was certainly a success."