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TAYLOR WILDERNESS
Upland, IN
The Taylor University segment of the Cardinal Greenway contributes significantly to closing the a 15-mile gap along the trail that would complete an accessible multi-use corridor and provide critical connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists. The completed trail will promote outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship to offer social, economic, and health benefits for the surrounding East Central Indiana communities.
2024-2026
PROJECT BACKGROUND
At 62 miles long, the Cardinal Greenway is a vital multi-use trail that serves East Central Indiana by linking major communities like Richmond, Muncie, Gas City, and Marion along the former Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad corridor. These connections are limited by several discontinuities along the greenway, one of the most significant being the 15-mile gap between Gaston and Gas City, near Taylor University in Upland. With no existing infrastructure, trail users crossing this gap are currently forced onto shared roadways, posing safety concerns for pedestrians.
Located just northeast of campus, Taylor University’s Taylor Wilderness nature preserve covers a large portion of this gap. In recognition of this, the university asked Flatland Resources to address the long-standing challenge of “closing the gap” in the Cardinal Greenway by designing a safe, feasible first segment through the Taylor Wilderness property. Construction for this portion of the trail had several constraints including variable land ownership, environmental sensitivities, roadway crossings, and topography.
These conditions required an alternative alignment that balanced safety, cost, landowner cooperation, and ecological considerations. The proposed design addresses these challenges while creating a continuous, ADA-compliant, multi-use trail that connects users to existing local and regional trail amenities. Flatland employed feasibility analyses, coordination with landowners and agencies, and well-informed routing to design the 1.8-mile, 10-foot-wide asphalt trail, including trailheads, signage, and a pedestrian bridge across Branch Creek.
Upon completion, this phase of “closing the gap” will encourage environmental stewardship, ensure pedestrian safety, and expand recreational resources to support economic development and improve community health outcomes.
FlatLand Resources has been our project management team for over 20-years helping build 2/3rds of our trails. They have been with us from the beginning to help close the trail gap between Gaston and Gas City. It was an easy selection to have them continue with the design and construction of the first leg of the gap through a partnership with Taylor University at their Taylor Wildness Area.
-Angie Pool, Chief Executive Officer, Cardinal Greenway, Inc.
PROJECT PERSONNEL
DAVID
project lead
+project designer
PHIL
project manager
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