Organizers say they're closing in on acquiring all the property needed to fill in gaps for a 16-mile recreational trail in northern Indiana.
The latest purchase of 11 parcels will allow construction for what is now a one-mile gap in the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail, where users must now follow Elkhart County roads about midway between Middlebury and Goshen.
County Commissioner Mike Yoder tells The Elkhart Truth that taking the trail off the county roads will improve safety for its users.
The Friends of the Pumpkinvine group says construction of the new trail section should be finished next summer. It is still negotiating the purchase of another small section to complete the trail between Shipshewana and Goshen.
The Pumpkinvine trail connects in Goshen with trails that continue to Elkhart.