April 7, 2025
SALEM, Ind. (April 2, 2025)— Radius Indiana hosted the second annual “Monon South Annual Report to the Communities” last Tuesday with leaders and community members from across southern Indiana. Speakers from the Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands, Clark Dietz, Inc., and Radius discussed trail design and construction developments, the release of an economic impact study about the business growth the trail is forecast to bring, and the announcement of several new trail programs, including a pitch competition for small businesses along the trail corridor.
David Wichman from Clark Dietz, the lead civil engineering firm, and Ron Taylor from Taylor Seifker Williams Design Group, the trail’s design firm, gave a behind-the-scenes look at the Monon South’s infrastructure design, construction progress, and master planning efforts. Phase 1 of trail construction is currently underway with approximately 3.6 miles of trail open to the public in Orleans and Mitchell. Additional trail segments through Clark County, Borden, New Pekin, Salem, Campbellsburg, and Saltillo are scheduled to open in May and June. In all, approximately 20.4 miles of the trail is expected to be open to the public by the end of Summer 2025, just one year after the groundbreaking in July 2024.
As trail sections begin opening throughout the spring and summer, an influx of visitors may be seen in communities along the trail corridor. Jeff Quyle, President and CEO of Radius Indiana, commented on how visitors will aid economic development efforts in the region, saying, “The whole goal of the trail, from an economic development perspective, is to get trail goers into downtown communities. This will bring new tourism revenue to those towns along the trail corridor and activate downtown business districts for the benefit of local residents as well as visitors.”
Once the full trail corridor of nearly 60 miles is completed, it is estimated that it will see between 55,000 and 231,000 users each year, according to the economic impact projection conducted by the Eppley Center. Of those users, 22% to 30% are expected to be out-of-town visitors, indicating a large opportunity for local communities to capitalize on increased tourism revenue.
“Using evidence-based documents from similar trails, we estimate that communities along the Monon South Trail will see a long-term economic impact of $2,120,000 to $6,909,000 annually,” commented Kristina Anderson, PhD., a Research Scientist for the Eppley Center. She continued, explaining, “With the Monon South Trail there is an annual projected spending of $34,000 to $111,000 per mile of trail.”
To further meet this increased demand of visitors, the Eppley Center Study indicated that community leaders hope to see new businesses spring forth— lodging, microbreweries, and connecting trail spurs were all identified as desirable amenities for visitors discovering the trail and its communities. In response to the need for new businesses, Radius Indiana is launching a pitch competition for those looking to kickstart businesses along or adjacent to the trail. More information on this pitch competition is set to be released in the coming months and may be found on the Radius Indiana website at www.radiusindiana.com.
An online donation program, now found on www.mononsouth.com, was also introduced. This program, developed by Radius Indiana and the Washington County Community Foundation, will support long-term maintenance of the trail. Tax deductible contribution options include one-time donation sums or recurring donations. Also found on the Monon South website will be a new SWAG store— featuring multiple items with the Monon South logo and full trail map— officially set to launch in the next several weeks.