Crew Completes Panhandle Pathway Paving

The Panhandle Pathway now ends in a spur at the intersection of Burson and Superior Streets.
The Panhandle Pathway now ends in a spur at the intersection of Burson and Superior Streets.

Outdoor enthusiasts now have 22 miles of paved trail to enjoy between Winamac and Kenneth. Crews completed the paving of the Panhandle Pathway on Friday. The newly paved portion ends in a spur onto Superior Street on the south end of downtown Winamac which was previously surfaced with crushed limestone. The Panhandle Pathway lies in the former railroad bed that runs parallel to U.S. 35 through Pulaski and Cass Counties. The town of Winamac received a Safe Routes to School Grant to pave the trail to the depot at the corner of Main and Logan Streets. Environmental impact studies are under way for that project, which will be done next year. From there, plans call for a northward extension to Tippecanoe River State Park. Rails-to-trails advocates eventually want to connect the Panhandle and the Erie-Monon Trail, which runs southeast out of North Judson to U.S. 35. A small portion of that trail is paved in downtown Monterey. The challenge will be crossing the double-span railroad trestle across the Tippecanoe River between Monterey and U.S. 35.