Munster and Merrillville have received grants for trail developments through Gov. Mitch Daniels' $19 million "Hoosiers on the Move" state plan.
Munster received $900,000 for the 1.5 mile construction of the Pennsy Greenway line, involving two stretches from the Illinois state line to Fisher Street and from Calumet Avenue at 45th Street heading southeast along an abandoned railroad line to Main Street.
Robert O'Shaughnessy, director of parks and recreation, said Munster will use the lion's share of the funds on the railroad corridor going through Centennial Park and connecting with the Schererville segment.
The remaining funding goes toward the second stretch connecting to Lansing.
The municipality has a timeline for the first part of fall, O'Shaughnessy said, with a goal to be done by Thanksgiving.
"We have engineers on site working on the project and will let the bids out about the end of June or early July," he said. "It is our hope to get the entire project through the end of the year - our absolute ending date."
Bid openings begin in August with construction to start in September.
"It is great to see dollars committed from Indianapolis through the governor's office to Northwest Indiana like this," Councilman Mike Mellon said.
The grant helps Munster "make a tremendous step in connecting bike paths throughout the community and with neighboring communities," Mellon said.
Merrillville's $800,000 grant will aid in extending the C&O rail trail from the southeastern corner of the town at Broadway and connecting to Taft Street/Ind. 55, according to Councilman Lance Huish, D-3rd.
The 1.7 mile trail is designed within a heavily populated segment in Merrillville, creating easy availability and passage during work and recreation, Huish said.
"I think the whole rail trails is wonderful," said the avid biker. "You can walk, bike and skate between all the different towns."
At some future point, the corridor will connect west to Griffith and continue east to Hobart and into Porter County, Huish said.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources distributed the one-time grants to 28 communities, resulting in 104 miles of new trails being built and the acquisition of land for an expected 26 miles of future trail development, according to its Web site.
