The Vanderburgh County Council and Commission celebrated the start of the new Green River Road Trail Project with a groundbreaking ceremony Friday, Aug. 12 near Green River Road at the Goebel Soccer Complex Friday Morning.
County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave counted down to the ceremonial breaking of the ground.
“So, three… two… one.. Let’s do this!” she said, as they put shovels to dirt.
The county was awarded more than $700,000 in ‘Next Level’ funds from the state.
Commissioner Ben Shoulders said this funding helped propel the Green River Trail project into construction.
“What this project will do is not only improve transportation, and safety, by having sidewalks, bike paths, and so forth, but also enhance the connectivity for many, many existing roads, but also accessibility to the Sports Park soccer fields, baseball and softball fields,” he said.
The pathway is in a tax-increment financing or TIF district, which he said provided most of the approximately $8 million through the Redevelopment Commission.
Shoulders says the pathway will be about three miles long and will include walking and biking paths. The first leg will be on Green River Road, which could be completed by next summer.
While the ground-breaking is ceremonial, the real action is already happening just beyond the soccer complex borders.
A crew with contractor Ragle Incorporated is using an excavator to prepare to widen the Green River Road bridge over Firlick Creek to fit a new bike and walking trail.
Shoulders says this project has been in the works for several years, and that it will eventually impact thousands of residents and visitors.
“You look, you look at direct and indirect — folks that are traveling here from a tourism standpoint, from the sports and leisure, they'll be able to access this a lot more and be able to travel a lot more safely through here,” said. “But then also the existing residents that like to walk, to bike and so forth. So, thousands will be impacted.”
Joining in the groundbreaking was Visit Evansville, the Vanderburgh County Redevelopment Commission, the soccer complex management, the contractor Ragle Inc., and engineers VS Engineering.
