OAKWOOD — Local runners, walkers and bicyclists can celebrate that the end is near for the completion of the Kickapoo Rail Trail.
Rebuild Illinois funding will allow for the completion of the long worked-on Kickapoo Rail Trail in Vermilion and Champaign counties.
The aim is to complete the trail by the end of 2025, according to KRT officials.
“After a complex process at the state level, the funds have now been awarded to the Champaign County Forest Preserve District, the Vermilion County Conservation District and the Urbana Park District. Now all three agencies can undertake the necessary design and engineering work, followed by bidding and construction of the trail,” according to KRT officials
“The allocation of these funds were the work of state Representative Carol Ammons and the late state Senator Scott Bennett who advocated for enough funding to finish all the remaining construction on the KRT, through appropriations from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO),” officials stated in an announcement of the grant funding.
The Champaign County Forest Preserve District (CCFPD), Vermilion County Conservation District (VCCD), and Urbana Park District (UPD) were awarded $11.2 million in funding through the Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan, a multi-billion dollar funding package for infrastructure improvements across Illinois, to complete the remaining sections of the Kickapoo Rail Trail (KRT) in Champaign and Vermilion counties.
The Kickapoo Rail Trail is a multi-use path that, once completed, will stretch 24.5 miles through several communities across county lines. As of 2023, 11.3 miles — just under half — of the trail is complete.
There are several sections to be completed with the funds:
Trail construction between St. Joseph and Ogden (CCFPD).Design and construction of a trailhead in Urbana (UPD).Design and construction of the trail from trailhead to the existing trail at East University Avenue (U.S. 150) and East Main Street in Urbana (CCFPD).Design and construction between Ogden and Oakwood through Fithian and Muncie (VCCD).
“We’re excited to receive the funding to complete the construction of the Kickapoo Rail Trail and provide this great amenity to the people and communities in Champaign and Vermilion counties,” said Lorrie Pearson, executive director of the Champaign County Forest Preserve District.
Funds from the Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan, awarded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), will enable CCFPD, VCCD and UPD to complete this inter-governmental effort to provide a safe, off-street transportation and recreation option and bring neighboring communities closer together.
Oakwood Trailhead
Meetings continue with the Village of Oakwood and the Friends of the KRT with plan proposals moving forward for a trailhead structure along the trail in Oakwood. Plans are still in the process of being developed in cooperation the Friends of the KRT, the Village of Oakwood and the Vermilion County Conservation District.
The plans call for a covered shelter along the trail near the Oakwood Town Hall. The shelter would include seating, a bike rack, an information display about Oakwood as well as wayfinding information to local restaurants and attractions.
Additional features may include a table, water point and bicycle repair station. A generous donation from a Danville-area family foundation will allow the Friends of the KRT to play a strategic role in advocating for design and functional elements in Oakwood that can later be incorporated in other structures along the trail. The goal is to have this shelter in place for Oakwood’s 4th of July celebration next year, according to Friends of the KRT.
Also last week, the Friends of the KRT learned it had been selected for a $7,500 grant from the Community Foundation of East Central Illinois to purchase a trailer and hand tools needed for maintenance work on the trail.