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The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the town of Sheridan celebrated the start of construction for phase 1 of the Monon Trail extension in northern Hamilton County today.
The asphalt multi-use trail will be constructed by the town of Sheridan with help from a $2,089,850 Next Level Trails (NLT) grant. The award was announced by Gov. Eric J. Holcomb in April 2022 as part of the third grant round of NLT. “The Monon Trail is well known for making connections between communities across central Indiana,” said Dan Bortner, DNR director.
“The Monon’s excellent connectivity set an early example of ways we’d bring communities together through Next Level Trails, including with the construction of the Monon South Trail in southern Indiana. Next Level Trails has now helped communities build more than 100 new miles of trail–and growing—across Indiana.”
The new trail will extend 0.75 miles north from the existing Monon Trail at State Road 47. The trail follows the historic railroad corridor north into the town center of Sheridan to 2nd Street. To the south, the existing Monon Trail extends more than 26 miles and travels through Westfield, Carmel, and Broad Ripple, ultimately terminating at 10th Street in downtown Indianapolis.
Phase 2 of the project will work to extend the trail 1.1 miles north to the Hamilton/Boone county line, thus completing the trail within Hamilton County.
"Funded in large part by a $2 million grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Next Level Trails grant program, this project is a collaborative effort that will bring the Monon into our downtown, where trail users will find our richly unique Main Street lined with storefronts that are seeing new life," said Sheridan Town Council President Silas DeVaney III. "We are confident the completed trail will add to the quality of life for our residents as well as invite people to Sheridan that might not otherwise have a reason to visit our small town.”
As part of Gov. 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. Thirty-four of the 89 NLT projects are complete, totaling more than 100 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.
In December 2023, Gov. Holcomb announced that 14 communities received a combined $31.2 million for 28 miles of new trail as a part of NLT’s fourth round. The grants awarded in the fourth round include seven regional projects and seven local projects. The list of awards, project descriptions, and a map are posted at on.IN.gov/nlt-round-4.
More information about NLT is at on.IN.gov/NextLevelTrails.
