Washtenaw County invests $3M in trail network expansion

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 | Source: Concentrate

Washtenaw County plans to invest $3 million in expanding the county's trails, pathways and other pedestrian/bicycling routes. The Connecting Communities program plans to give out $600,000 worth of grants each of those five years.

"Trails are the most popular thing we do," says Coy Vaughn, superintendent of park planning for Washtenaw County. "When we do a survey of things we should spend our money on, trails are always on the top of our list."

The county approved four applications (six applied) for this year's allocation. Those projects include:

-   $300,000 for Pittsfield Township so it can build a 2.38 mile trail along Lohr and Textile Roads linking Ann Arbor to Saline. The $1 million project will connect local neighborhoods to Teft Park and the Saline Community Recreation Center.
-   $120,000 for Northfield Township so it can build the first of three phases of a trail that will connect Whitmore Lake Elementary School to neighborhoods along Barker Road. The first phase of the $600,000 project will build 260 feet of boardwalk over local wetlands. Local officials hope to extend the trail to downtown, the township hall and the library.
-   $100,000 for Ypsilanti Township that will use the money to build the first of two phases of a half-mile trail along Textile Road. The $200,000 project, which is part of the Border-to-Border Trail, will connect Lakeside Park to an existing trail at Huron River Drive.
-   $80,000 for Chelsea, which plans to build a 950-foot trail segment along old U.S. 12. That $225,000 trail, mostly a boardwalk, will connect the trail system of the Pierce Lake Golf Course with adjacent neighborhoods, schools and a commercial district.

The Connecting Communities program will focus on helping finish the Border to Border Trail. So far 17 of the proposed 35 miles are operational. The trail runs east/west through Washtenaw County connecting Livingston and Wayne counties. The program is also looking for bike lane, crosswalk and other non-motorized projects that can help connect local communities.

"They like a system connecting the parks so they can use it for transportation and recreation," Vaughn says.

Source: Coy Vaughn, superintendent of park planning for Washtenaw County
Writer: Jon Zemke