Big Week For Indiana Dunes
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes State Park are celebrating major events this week. The lakeshore’s Central Avenue Beach has reopened after being closed for nearly a year and the state park has dedicated the long-awaited Dunes-Kankakee Trail.
The Central Avenue Beach was closed due to erosion caused by large storm waves that removed nearly all of the beach’s sand, according to the park. An eight-foot drop-off from the access path was also created, causing a danger to visitors. The park says the sand was slowly replenished naturally and lakeshore staff removed old debris and created a walkable path to the beach.
The Dunes-Kankakee Trail is a pedestrian-bike trail will eventually link Lake Michigan to the Kankakee River. The portion of the project dedicated Wednesday connects the Indiana Dunes State Park through the town of Porter to the Indiana Dunes Visitors Center.
Ground was broken on the project in 2013. Congressman Pete Visclosky (R-1), who helped secure federal funding for the project, called the trail an example of "the kinds of worthwhile investments we need to continue to make in our communities in northwest Indiana."