Trails galore across St. Joe County, plus one in Benton Harbor: They grow to connect.

Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune
Updated ·8 min read

Let’s take a look at new paved trails across St. Joseph County that you may be able to walk or bike by the end of this year, next year or soon afterwards as they make connections between key points and other paths.

South Bend projects

∎ Coal Line Trail and bridge: By late November, the full Coal Line Trail should be functional as work starts this week on building the second half of the paved path, taking it from the St. Joseph River (and Riverside Trail) to the East Bank Trail in South Bend. Orange barrels will probably linger through the winter and spring because there will still be details to finish, city planner/bicycle coordinator Chris Dressel says. Contractors have until May 2024 to finish the project.

Work is continuing to convert this former railroad bridge over the St. Joseph River into a pedestrian bridge, near Angela Boulevard in South Bend, as part of the Coal Line Trail. This view is from a kayak on June 4, 2023.
Work is continuing to convert this former railroad bridge over the St. Joseph River into a pedestrian bridge, near Angela Boulevard in South Bend, as part of the Coal Line Trail. This view is from a kayak on June 4, 2023.

The same will be true for the pedestrian bridge over the St. Joseph River, next to the Angela bridge, where workers have been busy strengthening the nearly century-old former railroad bridge and preparing it for a new concrete surface, lights and railings. Dressel says the contract completion date for that, too, is May 2024.

This newest section of trail will go up a hill along the back side of houses, yards and an alley on the north side of Angela.

The trail's first half, from Lincoln Way West to the Riverside Trail, opened last year as the path was officially dubbed the Stephen J. Luecke Coal Line Trail.

Jan. 1, 2023: Growing in ❜23: Coal Line Trail, Love Creek cabin/shelter and Bertrand park.

I’ve often referred to the full trail as 1.5 miles when all done. Now the city says it’ll actually be two miles because it has added plans for a future phase extending it south along College Street from Lincoln Way to the yet-to-be-finished Martin Luther King, Jr. Dream Center on Linden Avenue.

A map shows trail projects that the city of South Bend has in the works for this year or coming years.
A map shows trail projects that the city of South Bend has in the works for this year or coming years.

∎ Angela trail: The city plans to build a new trail this year along the north side of Angela Boulevard heading east of Indiana 933 by the edge of Notre Dame’s old golf course. It’s intended to be a safe connection to the campus entrance at Notre Dame Avenue.

But the city decided to build just enough trail to connect with the existing sidewalk in front of the homes along Angela. If it ripped out that sidewalk and built a wider trail, it would mean whacking the neighbors’ lovely line of trees there — something city officials didn’t want to do, Director of Planning Tim Corcoran says.

It’s a welcome idea, especially once the Coal Line Trail hooks up there. I’ve biked across that intersection countless times and, going eastward, have always ducked immediately onto the south-side sidewalk, then into the quieter neighborhood streets. Angela traffic is hectic.

A streetscape project along LaSalle Avenue in South Bend this year will add two-way, protected or separated bike lanes between the river and Notre Dame Avenue.
A streetscape project along LaSalle Avenue in South Bend this year will add two-way, protected or separated bike lanes between the river and Notre Dame Avenue.

∎ From downtown to ND: How about a trail from downtown to Notre Dame? Well, for starters, a city streetscape project to calm traffic along LaSalle Avenue east of the river will add two-way bicycle lanes that are protected or separated from the road between the river and Notre Dame Avenue. Work is beginning now with some traffic restrictions, due to be lifted by November. Dressel says this would be the first leg of what officials are, for now, calling the “Urban Trail.” Heading north, there are plans to build trails along Hill Street, then South Bend Avenue and Notre Dame Avenue to the Notre Dame campus. Work on those sections wouldn’t begin any earlier than 2024, Dressel says.

∎ Colfax: Colfax Avenue will gain some kind of a protected bike lanes going east of the river, in tandem with the county’s plans to rehabilitate the Colfax bridge in 2024, city planner Michael Divita says.

Map: Trail from Niles to Mishawaka

Mishawaka Riverwalk

In September, Mishawaka city officials say they expect to cut the ribbon on the long-awaited extension of the Riverwalk, now under construction along the St. Joseph River’s southern bank between Race Street (near the dam and pedestrian bridge) and Cedar Street.

The city will then proceed next year with the widening of the Cedar bridge, which will include a protected trail, expected to finish in 2025. This will close out a full loop of the Riverwalk that also follows the river’s north bank.

St. Joseph County

∎ Auten Trail and beyond: The Auten Road trail between Indiana 933 and Laurel Road could finally be completed within a couple of weeks, or so it appears from construction. This will serve as a link between the LaSalle Trail and Laurel as an access to St. Patrick’s County Park in South Bend. Contractors finished part of the trail last year. Where next? Bill Schalliol, St. Joseph County’s executive director of economic development, says the county will also add a pedestrian path on the Auten bridge over the St. Joe River when the bridge is upgraded in 2026. That’s with the notion that the trail could eventually extend westward. But, for now, there isn’t any safe space or provision for biking the 0.3 miles along Auten from Laurel to the bridge.

∎ Laurel trail: A trail currently runs halfway up Laurel Road between the Darden Road trail and the soon-to-be-finished Auten trail. The county hopes to extend that trail to Auten, so it has hired a contractor to study that section to see where and how the trail would be built and if it’s feasible, then to come up with a design, Schalliol says. The earliest it would be built would likely be 2024 or 2025.

∎ McKinley trail: The county plans to build a trail along McKinley Avenue for the half mile between Capital and Current roads, but it will likely happen in 2024 because two recent bids came in too high, Schalliol says. This trail would connect to the existing trail along Capital. He says the timing of it would dovetail with sidewalks that will be added more than two miles to the east on McKinley between Birch and Ash roads as part of an overall street improvement, widening McKinley from two to five lanes, expected to finish in summer 2024. That would provide either a trail or sidewalk along McKinley from Capital east to the county line.

∎ Lincoln Way connector: A short sidewalk will be built this summer along the north side of Lincoln Way East from Capital Avenue going west for about a block to Brook Avenue, offering a safe link into a neighborhood.

∎ Dragoon Trail trail: A trail will be built in 2023 or 2024 along the north side of the road known as Dragoon Trail, covering about 0.6 miles from Capital going west to Clover Road in Mishawaka. Schalliol says utilities need to be extended first. The trail would connect to housing being built near Clover, along with George Wilson Park, which is southwest of Dragoon and Clover.

∎ Douglas trail: You may have seen that the county has extended the trail along Douglas Road (and the freshly widened road) between the University of Notre Dame and Ironwood Road. The trail and road widening is now being extended east to Mishawaka at Carmichael Drive, one block shy of Indiana 23, scheduled to finish in late fall. Then the final phase would begin, extending it to Indiana 23.

A conceptual map shows possible trails at Portage Woods, next to Portage Manor in South Bend, that county Commissioner Derek Dieter is pursuing.
A conceptual map shows possible trails at Portage Woods, next to Portage Manor in South Bend, that county Commissioner Derek Dieter is pursuing.

∎ Portage Woods: County Commissioner Derek Dieter continues to pursue his dream of mountain bike trails through the woods next to Portage Manor in South Bend but also looping east across that county-owned property to the Chet Waggoner Little League fields, where there’d be parking and access. He has a conceptual map drawn up by Rock Solid Trail Contracting, based in Copper Harbor, Mich. He hopes to secure private funding for what he envisions as a project of the county commissioners.

Benton Harbor

Officials will cut the ribbon and invite the public to take an inaugural ride June 16 on a two-mile extension of the newish mountain bike trail in Benton Harbor, called the Lakeview Trail, at the Whirlpool Corp.’s global headquarters. This includes the tunnel under Michigan 63, built this spring, that links to 5.5 miles of mostly gentle, rolling and flowy mountain bike trail through Whirlpool’s wooded and scenic campus that opened last fall. The new part goes through undeveloped land that will afford glimpses of Lake Michigan.

Sept. 21, 2022: Will new mountain bike trail near Benton Harbor lead to more trails in the community?

To find the trailhead, go north of Benton Harbor on Michigan 63 past Jean Klock Park and, at the Whirlpool campus, turn east onto Monte Road. Look for trail signs. A new vault toilet has opened at the trailhead.

But, for the ribbon cutting at 3 p.m. June 16, Whirlpool asks visitors to park in its consumer services north lot, which you can reach via the headquarters’ main entrance on Michigan 63. You’re asked to send an RSVP message to Kelly Roche at kelly_roche@whirlpool.com or 773-769-3153.

Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Trails grow in South Bend Mishawaka St. Joseph County Benton Harbor