Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by Jefferson County Parks.
The Jefferson County Parks Department and its partners are proud to announce the second phase of the Interurban Trail in Watertown has finally been completed and opened to the public. On Friday, October 28th the final signs were placed along the trail, finishing touches were completed, and the trail closure signs were taken down. With both Phase I and Phase II completed, the Interurban Trail is now a full 7-miles long and ready for you to get out and explore.
The Interurban Trail Project was broken down into three phases for planning and budgeting purposes. Phase I starts at the Watertown Interurban Trail Trailhead facility near Humboldt Street, and runs 2.3 miles East to River Road. The Watertown Trailhead provides excellent parking, seasonal restrooms, and a bike repair station to tune up your bike. Phase I of the trail was completed earlier in the year and includes a 10’ wide paved trail and is highlighted by a three span recreation bridge over the Rock River.
Phase II of the project has been under construction for the last four months. This phase added an additional 4.7 miles of paved trail through rolling rural terrain in scenic Jefferson County. The Interurban Trail is now a full 7-mile ride from the trailhead to County Highway F just south of Ixonia. This second phase of the project was funded primarily through grants from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Stewardship Program.
Phase III of the project will extend from County Highway F East, and make a direct connection with the City of Oconomowoc and the lake Country Trail of Waukesha County. When completed, the Interurban Trail will be a full 11 miles. Jefferson County is again working with its partners on the fundraising, design, and engineering of Phase III of the project. We are currently fundraising for the project and anyone interested in donating can contact us at 920-674-7540 for more information.
As trail use has already been in high, we would like to remind all of our trial users to access the trail via the designated Watertown trailhead and review the posted rules and trail etiquette signage. We also ask all trail users to please respect our trail neighbors and abstain from parking along the road Right-of-Ways near the trail. Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of the final phase of the Interurban Trail project. Happy Trails everyone.
