Bike Trail From Chicago All The Way To Michigan Closer To Becoming A Reality

CHICAGO, IL — In just a few years, bicyclists and hikers in Illinois will be able to take a single trail from Chicago all the way to Michigan.

Work is progressing on the Marquette Greenway, a roughly 60-mile, non-motorized connector along Lake Michigan, which, when completed, will go from Calumet Park on the city's southeast side through the Indiana Dunes to New Buffalo, Michigan.

The greenway has received millions in grants to fund the project, including $17.8 million awarded in 2021 by the U.S. Department of Transportation via a RAISE Grant, according to the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission. It was also given $4.9 million under the federal American Rescue Plan, according to the Indiana Democratic Party.

“Ultimately, what we have to envision is it is economic development, so it is a connector,” Indiana U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, said in April, as quoted in a party news release. “It’s a connector from Chicago all around the Great Lakes to bring people in from across the country.”

Named for the famed explorer Jacques Marquette, the project has been ongoing since 2003, according to the commission.

Currently, 22 miles of the greenway have been built and another 32 miles are fully funded, according to the Michigan nonprofit Friends of Berrien County Trails. Roughly four miles in Michigan are partially funded and one mile in Indiana remains in the planning stages. The nonprofit is holding a fundraiser Thursday in the hopes of raising about $300,000 to finish the Michigan stretch of the trail. So far, the Michigan section has secured over $5 million, mostly in grants.

The Illinois portion of the greenway is already completed, according to Block Club Chicago, which reported that plans have begun on a trail system that would connect New Buffalo and South Haven, Michigan, linking Chicago to Michigan’s Great Lake-to-Lake network.

In 2021, the timeline for completion of the greenway was estimated at five years, according to the planning commission. The Detroit Free Press recently reported the final Indiana mile may not begin construction until 2027.