January 11, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Work continuing on Rail Trail

Ogden, IL – The Champaign County Forest Preserve District is poised to construct 1.5 miles of the Kickapoo Rail Trail (KRT) through the Village of Ogden. Construction began in May and will be complete by the fall.

This new section of trail will serve the residents and visitors of Ogden as both a transportation and recreational amenity and bring us one step closer to connecting neighboring communities through the KRT.

The new trail will provide a safe, off-street option for people of all ages and abilities to walk, wheel, skate, scoot, or bike through Ogden between County Roads 2650E and 2800E. Similar to the trail section in St. Joseph, the trail surface will be asphalt through town and crushed gravel as it moves out of town toward the county line.


There are currently 6.7 miles of trail complete from Urbana to St. Joseph and an additional 3 miles of trail between Oakwood and Kickapoo State Park. Upon completion of the entire trail, the KRT will span 24.5 miles and connect communities in Champaign and Vermilion Counties.


“We are thrilled to start construction of this next phase of the KRT and bring a part of the trail network to the residents of Ogden. After this section is complete, we will work with our partners to build the remaining sections of the KRT. In Champaign County, those next sections of trail will connect St. Joseph to Ogden and extend the current end of the trail in Urbana to connect to Weaver Park,” said Lorrie Pearson, Executive Director.


Funding for this section of the trail is supported by a $949,430 grant from the Illinois Department of
Transportation’s Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) and $118,678.75 in State of Illinois grant match. Any remaining costs will be provided by Champaign County Forest Preserve District and the Forest Preserve Friends Foundation.


Construction updates will be posted online at onekrt.org and on the Kickapoo Rail Trail Facebook and
Instagram pages.

in Life
Banner
Related Posts

Get to know to know SJO Senior Marching Band member Maya Hewkin

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

My favorite thing about marching band is the connection between the students. Being in band is like being a part...

Why is it important to keep your blood pressure under control?

April 9, 2021

April 9, 2021

By: Christie Clinic Department of Family Medicine What are some signs of high blood pressure and why is it important to...

‘I will always have memories that I won’t forget’ by Kenly Taylor

June 16, 2020

June 16, 2020

Hello! I’d like to take a few minutes to welcome each and every one of you to the St. Joseph-Ogden...

‘He was the kind of person everyone was happy to see’

July 19, 2025

July 19, 2025

Sam Shonkwiler was full of life. He would walk in a room and people would call his name. He had...

How I get it done …. with Jennifer Huls Wayland

October 14, 2022

October 14, 2022

We asked local business owners to describe their leadership style and how they make decisions. This week we talked to...

‘I am proud of all of us’ by Kristen Costa

June 16, 2020

June 16, 2020

To the St. Joseph-Ogden High School Class of 2020, when I began writing this speech, I didn’t even know where...

Bracelets honoring Booker bring attention to Scott’s Law

April 5, 2022

April 5, 2022

Vickie Reese is hoping a bracelet will help people remember to move over when they see flashing lights. Reese, the...

Maxey named to SJO Board of Education

June 23, 2020

June 23, 2020

The St. Joseph-Ogden School Board has a new member. The Board of Educated voted to fill a vacant position with...

Booker inspires community to serve

March 10, 2022

March 10, 2022

Ross Booker was always helping people. The community he called home is stepping up in order to honor the fallen...

10 things you don’t know about me… Cliff Hastings

October 14, 2022

October 14, 2022

We asked the owner of Prime Time Volleyball and the Parkland Head Volleyball Coach to tell us 10 interesting facts...

Kids say….

August 1, 2019

August 1, 2019

Students from PVO South tell us if they would like to be a farmer. This post is sponsored by Longview...

St. Joseph rallies to find missing dog

September 17, 2020

September 17, 2020

Operation bring Piper home is in full effect in St. Joseph. Piper, a yellow labrador retriever, went missing from the...

10 things you don’t know about me… Alisyn Franzen

December 13, 2021

December 13, 2021

We asked St. Joseph Middle School Principal Alisyn Franzen to tell us 10 interesting things about herself. Here are her...

‘There was a spunk and tenacity to her that would never quit, concede or fail’

February 2, 2023

February 2, 2023

Tiffany Kelley was many things. A loving mother. A great friend. An inspiration and a fighter. The St. Joseph resident...

Ask the Doctor with Dr. Jeanelle Murphy

February 7, 2020

February 7, 2020

Every month we will pose a question to Dr. Jeanelle Murphy of Christie Clinic in St. Joseph. This month we...

Comments
Leave a Reply