Construction underway on next phase of Coal Line Trail

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Construction is underway in South Bend on the next phase of the Stephen J. Luecke Coal Line Trail.

You may recall that phase one was completed late last year, which connects Lincoln Way West to Angela Boulevard, just across from Brownfield Park.

Phase two will run across the old Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge, connecting phase one and the west side with State Rd. 933 on the east side.

“As with all trail projects, I’m sure there’s probably an informal queue of people waiting to use it right now, and they’ll look for that first opportunity, once the surface is improved, to start making their travels along the trail,” says Chris Dressel, a Senior Planner for the City of South Bend’s Community Investment Department.

The goal is to complete most of the construction and open the trail by this fall, leaving only cosmetic additions for spring 2024.

“It’s great that it’s multi-faceted, you know, it’s recreational, obviously, but it’s also very useful the way it provides connections with the rest of the trail network. And it provides safe passage along a route that, especially along the Angela (Blvd) route, does not offer the most comfort for pedestrians or bicyclists, and we’re happy to do that. We’re also excited about the way it can offer a trip opportunity for even more mundane, daily trips like going to the store, carrying packages, or just going between different residences or other points of interest.”

The city says this project will help divert foot and bike traffic away from the Angela Bridge, making travel, leisure, and exercise more accessible and safer.

“The bridge will be a highlight of the whole trail,” Dressel said. “Our intention is to really reuse much of the old railroad, which was about 100 years old. We’ll be putting a new deck on top of that with railings and some lighting, so you have a really great combination of the old and new. You know, the quantity of the space is small, but the quality is really high in its ability to make all those different connections and provide all the access that wasn’t there before.”

The trail is named to honor former South Bend Mayor Steve Luecke, the longest-serving mayor in South Bend’s history.

“Mayor James Mueller was looking for an opportunity to honor what Mayor Luecke did for the city and his efforts to make the city more bicycle-friendly and grow the trail network,” Dressel said.

Phase 3 will connect the new MLK Jr. Dream Center on Linden Avenue with the rest of the trail.

That construction is set to begin in 2025.

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