Candy Neal/The Herald
Sanjay Patel of VS Engineering, INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuinness, Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner.

By Herald Staff

HUNTINGBURG — The Fourth Street Heritage Trail was officially dedicated Friday afternoon.

On hand for the dedication were officials, employees, merchants and residents of Huntingburg, state officials and well-wishers from neighboring communities.

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Joe McGuinness, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Transportation, both stressed the importance of the community’s support in the success of the project.

“By working together, you have achieved great success here in Huntingburg,” Crouch said. “You are proof to the rest of the state that by working together they too can achieve that great success. And I am proud to say that Huntingburg is truly stellar in Indiana."

The street was redesigned last year between between Geiger and Jackson streets. It has on each side a driving lane and sidewalk. A lane situated between the two can be used optionally as a walking lane, parking area or space for outdoor uses by a business. Trees and planter areas are between every three parking spaces. The design also incorporates part of the walking and bicycle path that will ultimately connect the north and south ends of the city.

“By bringing the Heritage Trail through the heart of downtown, creating a user-friendly flexible space that can be adaptable for the business owner and making improvements to Fourth and Market Street,” Mayor Denny Spinner said, “we are making downtown Huntingburg a hub of activity, which will provide significant customer traffic for those who make business investments in the heart of our community.”

He added that this is the last big Stellar project to be dedicated. The dedication was originally planned for April, but COVID-19 caused those plans to be canceled.