DK
Dylan Kleemann
  • Tell City, IN

Dylan Kleemann of Tell City Designs New Trail for University of Evansville Civil Engineering Project

2012 Dec 11

The Evansville, Indiana, riverfront is a popular location for walking, running, and biking, and University of Evansville civil engineering major Dylan Kleemann of Tell City, IN, plans to improve it even more by designing a new 7-mile trail that connects the riverfront to neighboring Newburgh, Indiana.

Kleemann, a graduate of Tell City High School, is one of seven UE students who are designing a multi-use trail for the Evansville-Area Trails Coalition (ETC) as their senior civil engineering project. The trail will run along the Interstate 164 corridor between the existing Sunset Park and Angel Mounds State Historic Site. The students' goal is to provide residents of Evansville and Newburgh with a greener travel option and a recreational area.

After completing site plan preparation during the Fall 2012 semester, the students presented three trail options to a group of around 25 ETC representatives, city government officials, and other community leaders yesterday at Downtown Evansville's Central Library. Once the ETC selects its preferred design, students will complete the final design work (which includes examining traffic crossings, materials, and parking facilities) during the Spring 2013 semester.

"One of the strengths of the University of Evansville's civil engineering program is the opportunity for students such as Dylan Kleemann to use the knowledge and skills they have acquired to become engaged in real-world design projects," said Brian Swenty, chair of the Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering. "This is not a paper exercise; historically, the students' design reports and drawings have served as the basis for construction of buildings and infrastructure by the project sponsor."