November 18, 2025 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

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,...

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...

As children go back to school why is it important that they wear masks?

October 23, 2021

October 23, 2021

By: Jeanelle Murphy, DO As Covid-19 continues to thrive due to the delta variant it is more important than ever...

CU Feed the Need to distribute food this week

August 26, 2020

August 26, 2020

CU Feed the need has even more food to distribute this week thanks to the St. Joseph Food Pantry. The...

‘He was one of a kind that can never be replaced’

July 19, 2023

July 19, 2023

Gerald McClendon always wanted to help people. His Facebook page even said, “I enjoy helping as many people as I...

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...

10 things you don’t know about me… Steve Peters

October 10, 2024

October 10, 2024

Steve is a member of the St. Joseph Zoning Board and a Paramedic / Firefighter with the St. Joseph- Stanton...

10 things you don’t know about me…KERMIT EUGENE ESAREY

September 23, 2022

September 23, 2022

KERMIT EUGENE ESAREY will be inducted into the St. Joseph-Ogden Hall of Fame tonight. Kermit was born and raised in...

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...

Ask the Doctor with Dr. Jeanelle Murphy

March 10, 2020

March 10, 2020

What are the pros of breastfeeding your newborn? How long would you recommend breastfeeding? Breast milk is the perfect food...

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....

Going the Distance: Smetzer excels at Western

October 17, 2019

October 17, 2019

Ross Smetzer has goals. The 2016 St. Joseph-Ogden High School graduate runs cross country and track for Western Illinois University...

Get to know SJO marching band member Kirsten Schaefer

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

My favorite part about marching band is the endless support that is shared throughout the band with one another and...

‘Helping them reach their potential is humbling and rewarding at the same time’

January 26, 2023

January 26, 2023

A performance today will culminate one of the most powerful artistic and personal experiences Justin Lee has had in his...

‘Scouting has been such a wonderful experience for me’

January 19, 2023

January 19, 2023

Sara Steffens’ Gold Award project is personal. The Ogden Girl Scout was inspired by her sister. “I learned that the...

Comments
Leave a Reply