Pennsy Greenway Trail extension opens

CHICAGO (CBS) -- An extension of the Pennsy Greenway Trail, a multi-use trail connecting the south suburbs to northwest Indiana, is now open.

A new 1.5 mile segment of the Pennsy Greenway has been completed and an additional .83 mile section is set to be completed in June.

The new section connects Lansing, Illinois with Schererville, Crown Point, and Munster, Indiana.

It's part of a nationwide project called the Great American Rail Trail, a planned multi-use route along old railroad tracks that would eventually go from Washington, D.C. to Washington state.

The Great American Rail Trail will include 214 planned miles in Indiana, and state officials said 56% of those are already complete.

Once the second new section is completed in June, the Pennsy Greenway Trail now will run 12.5 miles, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

It was financed in part by a $2.9 million state grant in 2019.