PORTAGE — Several years of work on a regional plan linking environmental conservation and nonmotorized transportation planning culminated Thursday with the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission Executive Board's approval of the "Greenways + Blueways 2020 Plan for Northwest Indiana."
The five-chapter plan evaluates land- and water-based trails and corridors in the Region, sets goals for their further development and presents suggestions for achieving them.
"This may be the first time we have seen a plan combining these two efforts," Transportation Planning Manager Mitch Barloga said.
NIRPC Executive Director Ty Warner called it "a landmark document" in its effort to link conservation, transportation and recreation in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties.
The plan builds off of a 2007 Greenways and Blueways Plan and a 2005 Regional Bikeways Plan.
"We thought as a staff it was best to bring these two together," Barloga said.
NIRPC officials initially hoped to have the plan completed a year ago, but several significant revisions delayed that.
The plan is available for download at www.nirpc.org through the Transportation menu.
The cost of nearly $71,000 is being covered by the agency's insurance. NIRPC serves as recipient of federal funding for several transit agencies in the three-county area, including South Lake County Community Services.
© Copyright 2024, nwitimes.com, Munster, IN