Efforts to make the Indiana Dunes more accessible to Region residents and visitors have gotten a $20 million boost. Four Northwest Indiana community foundations announced Thursday that they got a grant from the Lilly Endowment's GIFT VIII initiative for their NWI Thrive project. Proposed improvements include trail connections to the Marquette Greenway — which would eventually run from Chicago to Michigan — and South Shore Line stations, along with wayfinding signage.
Indiana Dunes National Park Superintendent Jason Taylor said it will make it easier for visitors to enjoy the park without a car. "We can literally connect backyards, get on your bike — connect front yards, driveways from Michigan City, Gary and beyond to the trail, the park and to the lake," Taylor noted. "It's going to change lives, right? It has the possibility to change lives."
Gary and Michigan City are among the communities set to get improvements.
Gary Chief of Staff Ellis Dumas said those include an environmental study and construction documents for a Marquette Greenway segment between Union Station and the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education. It also includes five miles of trails and streetscape improvements along Broadway, East 4th Avenue and Grand Boulevard.
"We cannot talk more about connecting our community to this national treasure, and for so long, we have not taken advantage of what is right in our backyard," Dumas said.
Michigan City's connectivity efforts will be centered on a new cultural trail. "This investment is a game-changer for Michigan City, marking a pivotal step in shaping our future, while honoring our past, as well," said Mayor Angie Nelson-Deuitch.
Meanwhile, "discover hubs" will be created near South Shore stations, with signs about each location's culture and history, plus wayfinding to area destinations.
There will also be a unified system of trail signage, according to Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) Executive Director Ty Warner. "We consistently hear people that move out to this region because of those assets and being able to access those on trails such as the Marquette Greenway," Warner said. "So this project just takes that and blows it even wider."
The community foundations say NWI Thrive is designed to build off of existing investments into the Marquette Greenway and the South Shore Line's Double Track project. It also aligns with NIRPC's 2050+ transportation plan and the Northwest Indiana Forum's Ignite the Region economic development plan.
NWI Thrive is led by the Legacy Foundation, Crown Point Community Foundation, Unity Foundation of La Porte County and Porter County Community Foundation — in partnership with three counties, 11 municipalities and numerous agencies and organizations.
These community foundations have provided support to Lakeshore Public Media.
