State Rep. Pack applauds infusion of new Next Level Trails funding in district

INDIANAPOLIS – State Rep. Renee Pack (D-Indianapolis) today applauded the announcement of $30 million in trail improvements around the state, including $4.5 million in Indiana House District 92. The B&O Trail in Pack's district will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the grant money.

“This infusion of grant money will be a boom for our district,” Pack said. “A robust trails network provides improvements to quality of life, health and recreation activities, multimodal transportation opportunities, and environmental and health benefits. Projects like expanding our very own B&O Trail will help tie our communities together and make the region more attractive to new residents and investments.”

The Next Level Trails program is a state-sponsored grant opportunity for local governments and non-profits to expand access to recreational trails across Indiana. The B&O Trail grant will add 6.43 miles to the asphalt trail named after the former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, extending it through Brownsburg and linking it with Indianapolis. The B&O Trail Association hopes to one day have it stretch over 60 miles from Indianapolis to Montezuma.

“Seeing progress on these trails statewide is a breath of fresh air,” Pack said. “Indiana is called the Crossroads of the Nation, so it is fitting that we should be a leader in multimodal trails systems. As we continue to expand and connect these paths, we will see growing opportunities for Hoosiers.

“We have all gone through a lot this past year. With spring just around the corner and the weather warming, I am encouraging everyone to look into their local trails for safe ways to get active, find a peace of mind and discover new parts of our great state that they may not have seen before.”