A final nine miles of pavement - along with a some pretty major major - are the finishing touches on the
Macomb Orchard Trail.
The 23 1/2-mile, multi-use, non-motorized paved path crosses Macomb County and beckons walkers, runners, skaters, bikers, stroller-pushers and the like to a pathways that will take them across the county and for many miles outside.
"It's opening up a whole regional trail system," says John Crumm, director of planning for the
Macomb County Department of Roads.
The final nine miles are being laid in Armada and Richmond. A bridge is also being built over the Clinton River, and a soon-to-be announced park will open in Romeo in a brownfield where now stands an unattractive county road department service center, says Crumm.
The building in Romeo will become an access point, park, and parking lot, he says. "It will immensely improve that neighborhood."
There will also be many more access points on the trail, including more for the disabled.
The work should all be done this summer, Crumm says.
The Macomb Orchard Trail ties together Macomb County communities and their natural features. It connects to Oakland County at Dequindre Road and leads into Rochester to Paint Creek.
The trail is also a link in a statewide system to connect the Great Lakes, rivers and such, this one a piece of the path between Lakes Michigan and Huron.
Source: John Crumm, director of planning, Macomb County Department of Roads
Writer: Kim North Shine
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