Published: May 21, 2008 06:09 pm            

Clarksville gets state money for Greenway section

Clarksville will receive state money for about 1.3 miles of improvements on the Ohio River Greenway, according to a press release from Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.

The Greenway improvements are a part of a $19 million investment in trails by the state, announced on Tuesday.

“By making Indiana a ‘State of Trails,’ we not only create new recreational opportunities, but also show the people who can bring businesses here the quality of life that Hoosiers enjoy,” Daniels said in the release.

The money will go to 28 projects throughout the state and will result in 104 miles of new trails being built, and the acquisition of land for an expected 26 miles of future trail development. Currently the state system includes about 400 miles of multiuse trails.

The Clarksville money will go toward paving a trail that already exist between the Falls of the Ohio State Park Interpretative Center to George Rogers Clark Park, said Brian Kaluzny, parks director for the town.

“It’s 1.3 miles of improvement, basically,” he said.

He was unclear on exactly how much money the town would be receiving.

The Ohio River Greenway project seeks to connect the Jeffersonville, Clarksville and New Albany riverfronts with continuous walking and bicycle paths.

After that paving, the next step will be design work on the portion of the trail that goes from George Rogers Clark Park to Silver Creek, he said.

The Clarksville grant is “a key component to connecting the dots,” said Shaunna Graf, the project’s coordinator.

Greenway preparation is also continuing in New Albany and Jeffersonville. The federal government recently committed almost $1 million to the project with its most recent budget.

That money — along with a local match — will go toward bank stabilization and a path near the New Albany amphitheater. Graf said officials hope to have that work completed by October’s Harvest Homecoming.

There’s also design work near Silver Creek in New Albany and an approach to the Big Four Bridge being considered in Jeffersonville.





So you know

Some of the projects that will receive funding, include:

• Clarksville Levee Trail, part of the Ohio River Greenway project

• Historic Collett Park Pathway in Terre Haute

• Wabash and Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Fort Wayne

• Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage in Evansville

• B-Line Trail in Bloomington

        

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