The bridge trusses are going up for the second phase of the Salt Creek Trail, and some movement is now happening on the third phase to connect it to the Brown County YMCA.
Last month, an environmental report was published on the county’s website and mentioned in a legal advertisement in the newspaper. It studies a possible way to connect the trail where it currently ends at the YMCA to the bridge that’s being built across Salt Creek at the former RedBarn Jamboree at Parkview Road. That middle section is phase three.
From that bridge, a trail is being built around the back of Brown County Schools’ Eagle Park to connect to Brown County State Park. That is phase two.
When all three phases are finished, walkers, runners and bikers will be able to travel between the state park and downtown Nashville on this trail.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Planning for the Salt Creek Trail started in October 2002.
The first three-quarter-mile section of the paved trail opened in 2013 between CVS and the YMCA, following Salt Creek.
The second section, between the state park and Eagle Park, is on track to be completed by the end of the year, reported Brown County Highway Superintendent Mike Magner at the July 15 county commissioners meeting.
Phase 3 of the trail is set to go to bid next spring.
Funding for the multimillion-dollar Salt Creek Trail project has come from the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Environmental report
The environmental report for Phase 3 which was released to the public last month is not an overall project design, said Magner, who is also the “ERC” (employee of responsible charge), or local point person with the state for this project. It just focuses on the environmental aspect of possibly putting a trail where the engineers have mapped it to possibly go.
“That is the only thing this process is looking at right now. It’s not looking at its design; it’s not looking at who it affects or how it affects. It’s only, if we take this preliminary alignment, are there any adverse environmental impacts?” he said.
However, the environmental document also shows the “preliminary alignment” of the middle phase of the trail. Maps show it continuing to run mostly along Salt Creek until it reaches State Road 46. Then, it would run generally along State Road 46 until it reaches Parkview Road.
The maps show multiple property owners’ land being involved, but no agreements have been made on land transfers yet.
Property owners cannot be approached about selling portions of their land for Phase 3 construction until the environmental report is completed by INDOT. Because federal money is involved in the project, the county has to follow the National Environmental Policy Act process. After the report process is finished, then appraisals and offers can be made, Magner said earlier this year.
“By the federal process, we’re not at that point yet. We can’t talk to owners yet. They have to have the environmental completely approved before any offers can be made. It’s not quite there yet,” Magner said in March.
INDOT gave residents until July 31 to make a comment on the advertised report, to request information or a public meeting.
Magner told the county commissioners on Aug. 5 that he’d received three requests for information. At least one resident had emailed the commissioners requesting a public hearing, and that request was forwarded to INDOT since they are responsible for the report.
The report can be viewed on the county’s website at browncounty-in.gov.
“They usually wait an extra two weeks to see if there are any additional comments past the deadline; then, that will be sent up to the environmental consultants so they can take that to the next step and do the public hearing,” Magner said.
Any hearing held would focus only on the environmental study, he added.
“It’s not us; it’s INDOT. We don’t know where that public hearing will be held. That is all up to INDOT,” commissioner Diana Biddle reiterated at last week’s meeting.
If INDOT decides to have a public hearing, it will be advertised, Magner said.
Progress so far
At the Aug. 5 meeting, Magner reported that the framework of the first bridge truss near the RedBarn was about 95 percent complete. Force Construction crews will soon begin working on the bridge deck, before moving to the second bridge installation location at the opposite end of Eagle Park near the state park.
“They have started hauling in a lot of fill material for the north end on span two, so Force Construction is working on those things at the same time,” Magner said.
Those bridge sections used to span the Eel River on State Road 46 in Clay County. INDOT relocated them here at the state’s expense.
Under the current work plan, Phase 2 of the trail would open before phase three, allowing people to use the two ends of the trail before the middle is built.
Phase 1, between the CVS and YMCA, has been used daily year-round since it opened seven years ago.
At the moment, there are no definite plans for other trail sections, but there could be in the future, Magner said. Earlier plans showed a spur from the YMCA to the Brown County Schools campus in Nashville and an extension to the county-owned Deer Run Park.
A Salt Creek Trail Committee used to help guide the progress of the trail, but the committee has not been convened in several years.
