Champaign County Forest Preserve District (CCFPD), Vermilion County Conservation District (VCCD), and Urbana Park District (UPD) have been awarded $11.2 million to complete the remainder of the Kickapoo Rail Trail. The funding will come from the Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan from the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The completed trail will be about double the length of what it is currently, going from 11.3 miles to 24.5 miles. It will eventually connect Urbana with Kickapoo State Park, after these four projects are completed:
- Trail construction between St. Joseph and Ogden (CCFPD)
- Design and construction of a trailhead in Urbana (UPD);
- Design and construction of the trail from trailhead to the existing trail at E University
Ave (US 150) and E Main St in Urbana (CCFPD); and- Design and construction between Ogden and Oakwood through Fithian and Muncie
(VCCD).
The rail trail has been a project in the making for a number of years, opening its first section in 2017 and adding on piece by piece. There is currently no timeline for completion of the remaining sections.