The Lost Bridge Trail is a 5.0-mile (8.0 km) rail trail in Sangamon County, Illinois. It was built by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) along an abandoned Baltimore and Ohio Railroad corridor between the east side of Springfield, Illinois to the center of Rochester, Illinois.[1]
The trail crosses the South Fork of the Sangamon River near Rochester, and crosses Sugar Creek near Springfield. Sugar Creek carries the outflow from Lake Springfield, a sizable nearby reservoir. The Lost Bridge trail name recalls IDOT's failure to prevent salvagors affiliated with the B&O from dismantling the Sugar Creek bridge for scrap.[1]
Population in the trail's Rochester service area is growing rapidly. Springfield is the county's employment center, and the Lost Bridge Trail is available for use by bicycle commuters who live in Sangamon County's southeast townships. The trail is managed jointly by the Illinois Department of Transportation and the village of Rochester.[1]
IDOT future plans include extending the trail southeastward to Taylorville and Pana along the same railroad bed.[1]