With the opening of the Westport section of the 60-mile Marquette Greenway, almost the eastern half of the tristate trail is either built or funded.
“There’s a small section in Michigan we’re working on,” said Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission office in Portage left to deal with, said NIRPC trail czar Mitch Barloga.
That leaves the area west of NIRPC’s office in Portage’s Ameriplex development to deal with.
The National Park Service will need to fund and build the sections through Indiana Dunes National Park, with the West Beach and Miller sections being the most problematic.
“Everything going west, there’s your challenge,” Barloga said. “We’re still figuring out how to get things done as far as going west.”
“Bridge Street to Cline Avenue is a gap we haven’t funded yet,” he said, and for good reason. That three-mile stretch of trail will cost an estimated $20 million to build because of the three bridges needed.
When it’s finished, the trail will wind through Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, from Chicago to New Buffalo. “It’s not a straight shot when you’re building a trail from scratch,” Barloga said.
The funding path has been winding through obstacles, too. “I’ve been on it now for 15 years,” Barloga said.
“I’ve been telling people all the time how powerful and important trails are to the community,” he said. “Indiana Dunes National Park visitors will ride into Burns Harbor and say, ‘I can live here, and I can shop here.’”
The Westport section of the trail bisects land where Burns Harbor officials hope to develop a town center, complete with residential and commercial opportunities. The town is shopping for a developer for that site after a COVID-19 pause, consultant Tina Rongers said.
“As you can tell, we’re really excited. It’s a good day here in Burns Harbor,” Rongers said last weekend while cutting the ribbon for the new section of the trail.
“I think I wrote my first grant 10 years ago for the project,” she said.
Councilwoman Roseann Bozak, dressed in a witch’s costume for the town’s fall festival after the ribbon cutting, said the celebration was not just for the trail “but a legacy bound by vision, dedication and community spirit.”
The town’s first section of the trail opened in 2020. A final segment is set to open in late 2026.
“So far, the town has invested $1.1 million in TIF funds to match $2.1 million in grants received and the 60-acre land donation by Cleveland Cliffs to build the Marquette Greenway,” Bozak said. “The final section will cost over $7.5 million to build, and $5 million of that through the state of Indiana’s Next Level Trails grant.”
Cleveland Cliffs recently announced a $15,000 grant to the Burns Harbor Street Department to buy a new mower to help maintain the trail.
“As we opened this newly completed 2.3 miles of trail today, we opened a window to the beauty, adventure and serenity that is part of the Duneland region,” Bozak said.
Porter Plan Commission member Rob Albrecht said his town knows it’s up to them to add a stretch of trail that will unite the two communities.
“Everything has been disconnected for years,” Barloga said. “This trail will be connected directly to the campgrounds, and you’ll get that kind of energy.”
“The more they discover it, the more they’ll populate places along the route,” he said. “Hopefully, savvy developers are doing the same thing.”
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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