January 27, 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

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...

Homeward Bound: Piper’s incredible adventure comes to an end

September 23, 2020

September 23, 2020

Piper, the most famous Labrador in St. Joseph, is finally back home. The dog spent seven days exploring St. Joseph...

A field of art

October 17, 2019

October 17, 2019

Call it art in progress. The fans at St. Joseph-Ogden High School always take note of the painted field, endzones,...

SJO FFA holds petting zoo

February 21, 2019

February 21, 2019

An annual tradition is taking place at St. Joseph-Ogden High School today—the SJO FFA petting zoo to celebrate National FFA...

Senior Spotlight with Jordan Stiverson

October 2, 2019

October 2, 2019

Every week we ask an SJO senior five questions. This week we spoke to Jordan Stiverson. 1. What is the...

Proposal would expand Sports Complex

February 14, 2019

February 14, 2019

Jim Page has a vision for the Sports Complex. The St. Joseph resident feels Woodard Family Park is under utilized...

‘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...

10 things you don’t know about me… Jeff Damler

May 27, 2022

May 27, 2022

Jeff Damler, is the Senior Vice President, Loan Officer, Branch Manager at Longview Bank in St. Joseph. Here are 10...

10 Things You Don’t Know About Me… Kent Brown

February 7, 2019

February 7, 2019

Every week we ask a community member to share 10 facts about themselves. This week it is St. Joseph resident...

Heritage marching band modifies season

July 15, 2020

July 15, 2020

The Heritage Performing Arts department announced that their marching band season has been canceled. Band Director Justin Lee said that...

‘We can’t wait to be back’

April 8, 2020

April 8, 2020

Amy Gibbons, the owner of Salon 192, is urging people not to do anything rash. That means resisting the urge...

Get to know senior SJO Marching Band member Jo Schmitz

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

My favorite thing about marching band is the community. I made my best friends through the program. My favorite memory...

10 things you don’t know about me… Miss Sophia from Gallo Dance Studio

July 24, 2019

July 24, 2019

Every week we ask a village resident to share 10 fun facts about themselves. This week we caught up with...

SJO Alumni Association Banquet to be held June 8

May 13, 2019

May 13, 2019

If you haven’t already marked your calendar, please save Saturday, June 8, 2019, for the Annual SJO Alumni Association Banquet....

10 things you don’t know about me… Sue Esposito

March 13, 2019

March 13, 2019

Every week we ask a community member to share 10 things about themselves. This week it is Ogden Trustee Sue...

Comments
Leave a Reply