[IndianaTrails] rail-trail mileage

[Kevin Heber]

We've been incredibly fortunate in that trails have received a great wealth
of support and press coverage lately.  One statistic I see flying around is
trail mileage, which is often used to compare different states in terms of
progress.  Just to clear that up a bit, I thought I would note that the
official rail-trail list (recognized by DNR and INDOT) for Indiana shows
163.9 miles and can be found here (please inform me of any inaccuracies):
 
http://www.indianatrails.org/main_map_files/Indiana_RT_masterlist.PDF
 
Totals:

Michigan:  1406  (source: national RTC)
Ohio:  764  (source: national RTC)
Kentucky:  21 (source: KRTC)
Indiana:  164 (source: HRTC)

Rail-trail mileage strictly reflects trails, or portions thereof, which
share/occupy a former/active railroad right-of-way.
 
I believe that RTC's MI and OH numbers are probably quite accurate because
RTC has had field offices in both states.  They have misquoted Indiana's
(and here Kentucky's) tallies for years, despite our best efforts at sharing
our stats.
 
The reasons Indiana is so far behind are numerous, but two factors may have
had most bearing:  our failure to successfully complete a railbanking until
1999 (by the Indiana Trails Fund; railbanking was instituted by the Feds in
1983) to preserve abandoning lines; and opposition culminating in several
class-action lawsuits, largely enabled by Nels Ackerson and Indiana Farm
Bureau, which dragged on for over a decade, further discouraging,
complicating, and derailing Indiana rail-trail projects.  We live and learn.
Many within IFB now support trails, and Nels Ackerson is suddenly promoting
the idea of a trail on the very rail line which spawned his career in
attacking railroads (and some trail groups) and their remnant land claims.
And, of course there is a tremendous sense of hope (and competitive spirit?)
in our emerging state master plan...
 
Kevin Heber
Hoosier Rails-to-Trails Council
kevin at indianatrails.org
317-410-0755
www.indianatrails.org
 
 
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