After being delayed by consistent rain during April and May, work is again advancing on the Kickapoo Rail Trail. Work is currently being done on the Oakwood area segment of the trail.
Jamie Pasquale, Director of the Vermilion County Conservation District, says the Illinois Department of Natural Resources plans to seek bids in August for work that will be done on a railroad trestle which is part of the trail. The trestle is located west of the Vermilion County Fairgrounds, and Pasquale says work on that portion of the trial is expected to begin next spring.
The Kickapoo Rail Trail will eventually run right through Oakwood. It remains to be seen, though, when work will be completed on another 10 miles of the trail in Vermilion County. Pasquale says that will depend on securing grants and other funding.
The Kickapoo Rail Trail is a 24.5 mile trail that is planned to run along the former CSX Railroad line from the east side of Urbana to Kickapoo State Park. It has been a joint venture of the Vermilion County Conservation District and the Champaign County Forest Preserve District. In the spring of 2016 the portion of the trail running from Urbana to St. Joseph was opened for hiking, biking and non-motorized vehicles.
You can learn more about the trail by visiting http://www.onekrt.org.
