Summit Park Trail and Sidewalk Project completed

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – On Thursday, Mayor Sharon Tucker joined Fort Wayne Trails, residents and business owners, along with the City’s Public Works and Community Development divisions, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the four-phase Summit Park Trail and Sidewalk Project.

The total length of the completed trail is 1.17 miles and the sidewalk length is 1.05 miles, connecting four mobile home parks with bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure on Lima Road and the Washington Center Road Sidewalk.

The City released the following:

All four phases were funded by the Summit Industrial Park Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District, a total investment of $2.6 million.

Construction began for this last completed phase in October of 2023 and includes a pedestrian bridge over the Spy Run Creek and a park bench. The 10-foot wide trail is .67 miles long and connects with the Lima Road Trail from Ludwig Road to Dupont Road, also connecting trail users to the 5-mile long Dupont Road Trail. The trail provides connectivity to businesses and destinations along Lima Road and ultimately Dupont Road. Immediate connections include Meijer, Applebee’s and a strip mall with Starbucks, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Sweet Monster Ice Cream, GameStop and other businesses.

“Trails provide an excellent recreation opportunity for residents and visitors to enjoy,” said Mayor Tucker. “We’re enhancing the quality of life in Fort Wayne by growing our trails and greenways system and adding sidewalks for connectivity. I’m encouraged to see the Public Works and Community Development divisions partner on this initiative to help make our community a great place to live, work, and play.”

The other three phases of the project were constructed from 2018 to 2020 and included a rest node, a trailhead parking lot and a park bench. The parking lot was partially funded with an Environmental Protective Agency (EPA) grant which made it possible to utilize environmentally-friendly permeable pavers which can help alleviate the negative effects of stormwater runoff or drought conditions. The trail is part of the regional Fishing Line Trail on the former Grand Rapids-Indiana Railroad Corridor that will stretch from Fort Wayne to Grand Rapids.

With the addition of the Summit Park Trail, there are now 102 miles in the City limits and 143 miles in the Fort Wayne Area Trails network with this new trail.

Fleis & VandenBrink designed all four phases. Meijer donated a trail easement for the trail.

Most of the trails in City limits are planned, designed, constructed and maintained by the City of Fort Wayne, under the leadership of Mayor Sharon Tucker.