Running along the north side of U.S. 231 from Crown Point to Hebron is an abandoned railroad which is planned to be turned into the Veterans Memorial Trail. In 1999, a federal grant was secured by the Lake County Parks Dept. to construct the facility, but it was discovered how challenging this would turn out to be when over 130 landowner interests were identified in the nine-mile corridor. Hence the delay in development for the last 20+ years.
However, movement on the trail is finally proceeding, with the Town of Hebron ready to open the first mile of the Vet Trail this year. Lake County Parks has also experienced success with land acquisition of the corridor nearly complete within Crown Point.
The Hebron section was awarded a Next Level Trails grant from the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources last year. Since this is state funding, not federal, the phases of development are able to move more rapidly due to fewer regulations involved. The town hosted a ribbon cutting for their segment of the Vet Trail on June 6th for National Trails Day.
Photos: chicagotribune.com