Trails in Southeast Michigan getting bigger, bolder

While some developments and construction are jumping in the back seat because of the economic slowdown, the Metro Detroit non-motorized trail system is pushing forward.

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Most local and state funding has dried up for trails, but the federal government and private foundations still fund new trails in southeast Michigan, said Detroit Greenways coordinator Todd Scott with the nonprofit Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance.

"The feds realize they shouldn't just be funding people in cars. We need a transportation system," Scott said Wednesday.

He wants to catch up metro Detroit with towns like Seattle and Ann Arbor, where cycling and jogging paths crisscross built-up areas.

In Detroit, seven non-motorized paths are to open this summer, including 16 miles of bike lanes in Corktown and a link from riverfront trails to the Dequindre Cut path to Eastern Market, he said.

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