The Fort Wayne City Council unanimously approved the funds for the final portion of the Pufferbelly Trail on Tuesday.
The trail is part of the State Visionary Trail which will stretch from Pokagon State Park in Angola to Ouabache State Park in Bluffton, according to the city’s trails website.
Second District Republican City Councilman Russ Jehl, who’s been on the council for 12 years, said this has been an ongoing project since he took office.
“I remember my very first briefing, which would be 12 years ago, on the plans for the trail,” Jehl said. “(They) said ‘Hey, Pufferbelly? This is actually going to be the most difficult but most wonderful part.’”
The new section will create a 12-foot wide asphalt trail from the Ice Way and Lima Road intersection to Washington Center Road just west of Interstate 69.
In total, the project will cost more than $3 million, but since it will connect different parts of the state, the city and state governments will partner in an 80/20 split with the state funding 80% of the cost.
Jehl said once this section is finished, the city will need to approve a walking bridge over Coliseum, which he said will go near the Speedway Drive intersection.
The plan is for this new section to be finished by the end of 2025.
