The proposed route of the Dunes Kankakee Trail would take it right through the heart of Downtown Chesterton from its northern terminus at Indiana Dunes State Park on its way south to Kouts and Hebron.

The trail would begin at the beach and--taking advantage of a fenced-in bike lane to be shaved from the four-lane roadway in and out of the State Park--proceed south along the east side of Ind. 49, crossing the bridges over U.S. Highway 12 and U.S. Highway 20 via bike lanes which the Indiana Department of Transportation would construct.

At the signalized intersection of North Tremont Road and East Oak Hill Road, the trail would cross to the west side of Ind. 49 and proceed to a point just south of the Michigan Central line--but well north of the I-94 interchange--where it would follow in a southwesterly direction the railroad right-of-way, cross beneath I-94, and then make a sharp turn to the east to debouch onto Taylor Street in Chesterton.

Then east to North Calumet Road and a straight shot south through the center of town: North Calumet to South Calumet--one of the two sidewalks flanking South Calumet would be widened--to 100E and on to Rail Road, from which the trail would wind its way through the Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve.

Along the way the Dunes Kankakee Trail would link directly or indirectly with a host of other trails--the Westchester Liberty Trail, the Prairie Duneland Trail, the Porter Brickyard Trail, the Calumet Trail--so that when the entire network is completed a bicyclist could easily and safely travel from the State Park to Portage and points east, west, and south.

At North Calumet Ave., at the extreme south edge of Chesterton, the trail would cross again from the east side of Ind. 49 to the west and continue south, where at Vale Park Road it could either continue along the Ind. 49 corridor or--the City of Valparaiso is exploring this possibility, Barloga said--cut west to Silhavey Road and then follow Silhavey all the way to U.S. Highway 30, cross at the intersection by Strong Bow Inn, and cut back east again to Ind. 49.

Barloga did issue a few caveats. First, the Dunes Kankakee Trail is still in the early stages. The plan itself has been completed, a prerequisite for grant applications, and at the moment such an application--submitted by the Town of Porter--is pending before the Regional Development Authority.

Total estimated cost of the project: $6,925,000, with 40 percent of the cost or $2,755,000 of that amount to be used for the first 6.6 miles of the trail, from the State Park through Chesterton.

Barloga also noted, for example, that discussions with railroads have not yet begun and “dealing with railroads is not always easy.”

There is no official timeline yet for completion of the project, Barloga added, but the stretch from the State Park to the Chesterton corporate limit could begin in the next couple of years.

“We have a full planning document now,” said Lorelei Weimer, executive director of the Porter County Convention, Recreation, and Visitor Commission. “That will help with competitive grants. We can now go after funding aggressively. Once the portion from the State Park to I-94 gets started, people will realize it’s a reality.”

Contributing to the formulation of the planning document, among others, have been Barloga; Steve Barker of the Coffee Creek Watershed Conservancy; Brandt Baughman of Indiana Dune State Park; Eric Ehn of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; Heather Ennis of the Chesterton/Duneland Chamber of Commerce; Chesterton Town Engineer Mark O’Dell; Porter Town Council Member Mike Genger; and Burns Harbor Town Council Member Cliff Fleming.

Posted 9/9/2009