Madison, IN – A dream of many in our region is about to be realized: a trail to connect the towns of Hanover and Madison, Indiana. Soon, those without a vehicle or other means of transportation from one town to the other and those who just want to walk or cycle for health on a paved surface in nature will be able to do so.

While some of the preliminary work has begun, this $78,650 grant award to Hanover College, which will be matched with an award from the Lilly Endowment, will enable the surveying and geotechnical coring work for Phase II of the Hanover-Madison Connector Trail (HMCT), specifically for the stretch of trail going through the Indiana-Kentucky Electric Corp. (IKE) and Hanover College properties.

The Bethany Legacy grant will help fund an engineering study of Phase II, which is the section running from the Clifty Falls entrance to the base of Hanover Beach Hill Road, helping to determine an official route and cost estimates. This will allow the City of Hanover to apply for construction grants for Phase II and take the completion of this trail one step closer to reality.

This engineering and coring work will help solidify a route, determine constructability, and provide an updated budget for the HMCT project. The surveying and geotechnical work will be completed by Oct. 31, 2023.

When completed, the Hanover-Madison Connector Trail will connect downtown Madison, Clifty Falls State Park, Hanover College, and the Town of Hanover, creating a safe, multi-use route for bicyclists and pedestrians where there currently is none. Dora Anim, CEO of Bethany Legacy Foundation, states, “The existence of such a trail will improve the quality of life and provide greater equity among all Jefferson County residents and is another step in the direction of making Jefferson County the healthiest place in the world to live.”

Hanover College is a challenging and supportive community whose members take responsibility for lifelong inquiry, transformative learning and meaningful service. Hanover College is dedicated to creating a distinctive intellectual community within which students are challenged and nurtured to take responsibility for their learning and their lives and to develop their unique abilities to their highest levels.