October 26, 2017 - The 100th mile of the regional trail network is paved with minor edging work to be completed over the next few weeks.
To celebrate this important milestone, the City of Fort Wayne, Allen County and Fort Wayne Trails Inc. will hold a celebration event at the location of the 100th mile, a part of the Rivergreenway near The Plex North. The event will be on Monday, November 13, 2017 at 11:00 a.m.
“Hitting this significant milestone is a great achievement for the residents of Fort Wayne and Allen County. Our trails are transformative as they connect residents as never before and make our community more accessible with safe transportation options for pedestrians and bicyclists,” said Dawn Ritchie, City of Fort Wayne Greenways and Trails Manager.
"For four decades, groups of citizens in partnership with municipalities have been advocating for more trails in Fort Wayne and Allen County. To hit 100 miles is a testament to our community's drive for a better quality of life,” said Kent Castleman, Executive Director of Fort Wayne Trails Inc.
As part of the celebration residents are asked to share their memories and photos of them using our trails through social media. We’re hoping to collect photos of friends and families using our trail network through the decades from the 1970’s all the way through this year. In a network that mixes rural and urban trails, we believe trail users will share scenic photos, too.
Photos or short written memories can be posted on the City of Fort Wayne’s Facebook page or the Fort Wayne Trails Inc. Facebook page. We ask that you to use the hashtag -- #fwtrails100 -- when posting your photo or story. https://tinyurl.com/y79u34ec
All submittals will be entered into a drawing for prizes ranging from trail tee shirts to dinner to entry tickets for various events.
About the City of Fort Wayne Greenways and Trails
The City of Fort Wayne’s Greenways began as part of the Parks and Recreation Division. From 1975 to 2005, the Parks and Recreation Division built the 20-mile Rivergreenway. In 2005, as interest grew and more residents began using the trails, the current City Greenways and Trails Department moved to the Public Works Division, a fitting move as the community’s view of trails shifted from recreation to active transportation.
The move helped the City increase its trail miles from the 20 Rivergreenway miles to more than 77 miles inside the City limits today. The City’s trails connect to New Haven and other parts of Allen County, creating a Fort Wayne Area Trails network of the 98 miles.
About Fort Wayne Trails Inc.
Created in January 2011, the mission of Fort Wayne Trails Inc. is to act as a community partner and advocate in the development of a connected, multi-purpose system of trails in Allen County. Fort Wayne Trails envisions a healthy, vibrant, and connected community enriched by a system of trails, roads, and pathways. Fort Wayne Trails partners strongly with municipalities to guide the prioritization, development and creation of trail expansion to benefit the community.
For more information visit fwtrails.org.