With the resounding success and overwhelming popularity of the Monon Trail in Hamilton County, residents and officials have long been looking to expand the county's trail system and duplicate the Monon's success.  Besides the Monon line, there was once another non-electric main railroad that crossed the county: An east-west link known as the Central Indiana or Midland Railway, long abandoned but still physically intact between Lebanon, Westfield, Noblesville and Lapel.  The City of Westfield has been the first to take an interest in developing the line into a Monon-like trail, and has had detailed plans to build the Midland Trace trail across the city, running just south of SR32, urged on by the Friends of the Midland Trace advocacy group The city has taken several significant steps in the last few years, and now the smell of asphalt is almost in the air.

A look into the near future: the Midland Trace

Westfield's portion of the Midland Trace will stretch from Gray Road on the city's east side to the Boone County line on the west side, where the future Ackerson Farms development in Eagletown includes plans to incorporate the trail.  A portion was paved for several years ago between Oak Ridge Road and Quaker Park, a short stretch of a couple hundred yards.

Anyone who has traveled down the Monon through Carmel can immediately see the transformation of the city surrounding the trail, one fortunate result of the Monon's close proximity to the downtown area.  The downtown is abuzz with life, with the Monon as its lifeline.  In exactly the same way, the Midland Trace has the potential to transform downtown Westfield, a fact that has not escaped Westfield officials like Mayor Andy Cook and members of the City Council.  A city consulting firm is now clearing and surveying the line in anticipation of acquisition and development between downtown Westfield and Cool Creek.  Various developers and owners have agreed to donate or dedicate several sections of trail to the City over the past several years, including Noblesville, which purchased the line from the Indiana Transportation Museum in the late 1980's.

Westfield's Trail Plan: the Midland and Monon will cross on both sides of US31.

In addition to the Midland, the Monon is also getting plenty of support and attention from Westfield and Hamilton County.  Two large grants, one of which came this spring from Governor Daniels' state trails initiative, will soon bring the Monon nearly 3 miles north of 146th Street up to the future Midland Trace on the west side of US31.  The development of the Viking Meadows neghborhood has already paved the trail between 156th and 161st Streets, and the remainder may see construction begin by the end of the year.  In addition, the Hamilton County Commission is seeking funding for a future Monon bridge across 146th Street.

Connecting trail to Simon Moon Park

Westfield has plans to build the Monon Trail and Midland Trace into a unique loop around the downtown area, hoping to maximize both trails' impact on the revitalization of the old town area.  The trails' crossings of US31 and SR32 will be delayed until the US31 upgrade.  However, in the meantime, the city is moving forward with the Monon/Midland link west of US31 and a similar intersection on the east side at Union Street, where the Monon, Midland and Natalie Wheeler trails will intersect.  The Natalie Wheeler Trail, constructed on the west side of Union Street several years ago, runs between the downtown area and Cool Creek Park.

On the east side of the downtown area, the Midland Trace will connect with an existing asphalt path to Simon Moon Park, then run behind Walgreens, cross Carey Road and run behind the Kroger shopping center, where it will end temporarily at Cool Creek until a suitable bridge can be found.  The city has discussed the possibility of historic bridge reuse, now a popular design feature on several other trails around Indiana.

The Cicero Creek Bridge

A connection to Noblesville has been urged by the Friends group, but Noblesville has yet to take decisive action on the project.  Two spectacular historic iron bridges, one over Cicero Creek and the other a double-span over White River, await rehabilitation and rebirth along the future Midland Trace in Noblesville.  The project would also connect trail users to the future Riverwalk project and the existing White River Greenway, which currently runs several miles between the courthouse square and Potters Covered Bridge.  Putting it all together - the Monon Trail, Midland Trace, the buzzing new downtowns of Carmel and Westfield and a trip through historic Noblesville - would place Hamilton County squarely into the realm of a major trail tourist attraction.  And if the Friends of Boone County Trails get their way, a future westward connection to Lebanon would someday tie in the Farm Heritage Trail between Lebanon and Lafayette.

For more information please visit www.midlandtrace.info.