Crown Point Trail Network

As Crown Point developed during the middle 19th Century, the driving force behind the community's development were the strategic locations of two regional railroads which linked the city to points both northwest and southeast.  These lines, the Erie-Lackawanna (E-L) and Pennsylvania (Pennsy) Railroads, provided the economic engine for Crown Point for well over 100 years.  By the 1970's, the railroad transportation industry took a huge blow, and what followed over the next decade was a surge of corridor abandonments from a number of companies.  Both the E-L and Pennsy were victims, and by the middle of the 1980's, the trains had completely stopped running.  Soon after that the rails were taken up and sold as scrap.

However, a movement developed nationwide to turn these abandoned, and rapidly-emerging eyesores, into linear trail systems since they offered the perfect location to provide safe, long-distance non-motorized travel opportunities.  The effort soon had a common name - "rails-to-trails".  In 1992, Congress further buttressed these efforts with the adoption of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, or ISTEA, which provided for the landmark Transportation Enhancement (TE) grant program.  TE provided direct monies for those communities seeking to develop rails-to-trails projects.  To date, since ISTEA was enacted, over 12,000 miles of off-road trails have been constructed, and over $30 million has been awarded just to the NW Indiana region alone.  These monies have built the majority of the existing 70+ mile network of trails in the region, with another 50+ miles funded for imminent construction.

In Crown Point, the E-L and Pennsy corridors have yet to be developed.  Since city officials did not act quickly enough to secure these rights-of-way in the center of town, they have been forever lost with structures built right on top of them or being used for equipment storage.  Re-acquiring these properties would be costly and highly unpopular.  However, even with these corridors lost in the heart of the city, both corridors are free and clear of physical obstacles for most of their run in the city emerging from the very center of town.  With the very middle gone, four separate corridors have now been identified for future rails-to-trails in the city, and they have been duly noted as thus in the 2005 Comprehensive Plan (see Master Plan link for details).

Below is a synopsis of these four trail segments, and what the city has done, and will be doing, to rightfully develop them as linear trail systems - providing vital connectivity to the emerging growth areas of the city and to our neighbors.

Penn-Erie Trail

Stretching from downtown Hammond to 93rd Avenue in Crown Point, the Erie-Lackawanna Trail runs approximately 15 miles from these point through the communities of Highland, Griffith, Schererville and Munster.  To date, it represents the largest trail system in NW Indiana, providing a direct connection to well over 100,000 region residents.  Although specific counts are not yet available, it is safe to say that several thousand enjoy this rails-to-trails conversion each and every week.  A map of the developed segments of the trail can be viewed by clicking the thumbnail image below:



The history of the trail itself is very interesting, starting in Hammond at Sibley in the late 1980's, the trail developed almost happenstance through the remaining communities, with little or no planning between them.  As evidence of this lack of coordinated development, the E-L has a different name in each of the communities it passes through - from the "Erie Linear" in Hammond to the "Cross-town Trail" in Highland.  In 1998, the Town of Merrillville finished their segment of the trail, leaving it on Crown Point's doorstep at 93rd Avenue.  It has remained there since then  (click to enlarge)...









For nearly a decade, this area has remained neglected, and in dire need of basic improvements.  These include an improved entrance, new pavement and seating.  A shelter and picnic table or two would also be helpful.  There is very little existing signage at this location, and nothing to inform the traveler that they are even in Crown Point.  Those looking to access the E-L trail from the city must drive, or else face a dangerous journey along Main Street (State Road 55), to 93rd Avenue, and somehow negotiate traffic and extremely poor pavement conditions to safely access this trailhead.  Many don't even bother with this site, but instead use the substandard parking lot off of 91st Avenue just about a block or two north.  Furthermore, although Merrillville built a new side path along 93rd Avenue east of Main Street, nothing has been done west of this point, with no plans announced in the near future.  As you can see from the photo below, there is plenty of right-of-way space to construct an adequate path (click to enlarge).













As for any plans to connect the E-L into the city, in 2001, Crown Point did receive a TE grant for $700,000 to make this critical link a reality.  However, due to several delays, from NIPSCO, to landowner concerns, to developer demands, the city has not yet finished this segment even with the federal assistance, and now, the trail is planned to be finished by August of 2009 - at the earliest.  The total length of this segment is roughly 1.6 miles from 93rd to the planned terminus at Summit Street behind Walgreen's.  The map below details the route (click to enlarge):












The planned route is actually re-directed off of the abandoned corridor, and proceeds due south in country.  Eventually, it links up with the abandoned Pennsy corridor, which runs along the southern border with Liberty Park subdivision.  It eventually will terminate at a trailhead behind Walgreen's on Summit Street - which brings trail users to the northern edge of the "old city", and enabling them to take advantage of quieter streets to access the downtown Square, fairgrounds, and many other civic destinations.  This trailhead was originally planned with a remodeled caboose and shelter emulating the roofline of the former rail depot (which was torn down in the 1990's). Below is a copy of the trailhead's original design concept (click to enlarge):








In 2006, city officials decided to call this missing link the "Penn-Erie Trail" since it will be utilizing both the E-L and Pennsy abandoned rights-of-way.  However, this link will also serve as the starting point for the Pennsy Greenway Trail, which will be constructed along the Pennsy from Crown Point, through Schererville, Munster and then terminate on the north side of Lansing, IL - where it will meet up with the Burnham Greenway.  Eventually, the Burnham Greenway will be linked to the Chicago Lakefront Trail, creating a 50-mile long, uninterrupted off-road trail from the north side of Chicago to Crown Point.  Lansing completed their segment of the Pennsy in June of 2006, and at this time the end of the trail is right at the state line, where Munster plans to extend it into their town by 2009.  Munster also plans to develop a segment from Calumet Ave. to Main Street next year as well.  The balance of the Pennsy through Schererville and Crown Point is clearing up.  Another TE grant was awarded to buy the remaining property of the Pennsy in 2004, and an interlocal agreement with Lake County Parks was executed in 2007.  In the fall of 2007, Schererville received a $1 million TE grant to build the Pennsy from their town hall southeast to Rorhman Park.  Crown Point is currently looking for a route off of the Erie-Lackawanna Trail - either along Beaver Dam Ditch or the 93rd Ave. corridor to Clark Street.  A map of the proposed Pennsy route follows below (click to enlarge):















Veterans Memorial Trail
The Pennsy, as it proceeds SE from Crown Point, ran along US 231 to Hebron and beyond.  In 1999, the Lake County Parks Department received $1.4 million in TE monies to develop this into a rails-to-trails project.  The limits of trail starts at 113th Avenue and extends to the Lake/Porter county line.  It was also decided that an equestrian trail be built alongide the paved section from Iowa Street east - where horse farms currently exist.  This addition has proven very popular with the horse-riding community.

The trail's progress is being advocated chiefly by the Friends of the Veterans Memorial Parkway, Inc., a not-for-profit group seeking to create a 15-mile series of veterans memorials to the honor of those who served and died from Lake County.  For a detailed description and updates concerning the trail, including the other ongoing efforts of the Friends of the Parkway, please visit their site by clicking HERE.

Winfield Corridor
This fourth major trail opportunity would begin along the the abandoned E-L right-of-way, east of Broadway to just south of 113th Avenue.  The trail would be connected into the city via a sidepath along 109th to the point where it intersects with the E-L corridor.  When completed, the Winfield Corridor trail would provide the only off-road link from the rapidly developing east side of I-65 to the center of the city.  Recently, INDOT provided for a separated-grade passage for the future trail by installing a box culvert under the expressway where it intersected with the corridor.  The corridor continues through the center of the Town of Winfield, ending at the county line just south of the Lakes of the Four Seasons.  To this end, Winfield officials have expressed their serious desire to see this trail built as a benefit for their residents.

Merrillville Road Pedestrian Path
In 2003, a long-awaited side path was finished, linking the newer NE residential developments of the city to the downtown along Merrillville Road.  The path is a double-wide sidewalk, all concrete throughout it's nearly 2-mile run.  The facility has proven to be very popular with all non-motorized users, but especially walkers.  As popular as it is, the path has yet to be identified as a bike trail through any type of signage.  Furthermore, no safety signage has yet been afforded to this path, such as stop signs and other necessary cautionary signals to allow for the safe use of the facility by bikers, walkers, rollerbladers and wheelchair users alike. 

A glaring flaw of this sidepath remains the numerous driveway interruptions from Summit Street south to Goldsbrough Street.  Several residences and business line this side of Merrillville Road, making bicycle travel especially tricky.  As motorists attempt to turn into these driveways, they usually are not anticipating a speeding bike traveling on the path since they would be out of their cone of vision.  If the bike were traveling along the road, the motorist would be able to see them and yield accordingly.  So far, there has been no reports of crashes along this stretch of path, but it could prove to be a source of conflict if more users are made aware that the path does exist since again, no signage is in place to let anyone know that bikes are allowed.