Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance

This is a very special Biking event. The Ambassador Bridge, spanning from Detroit to Windsor, pauses traffic to allow bikes to cross.  Canadian riders will ride to the US, across the bridge, and meet up with the Americans.  Then both the Canadians and Americans will ride back across the bridge.  A delicious Breakfast will be provided after the bridge ride, at Canada’s beautiful Mic Mac Park.  more . . .

Save the Date of June 23, 2012

We are in the planning phase of a GRAND, grand opening of the North Eastern State Trail (NEST). Save the Date of June 23, 2012 so you can take part in this historic event.

Along with the Top of Michigan Trails Council, local officials, businesses and chambers of commerce along the 71 mile trail will be putting on the celebration. The plans for now include simultaneous ribbon cutting events at 8:30 a.m. in Alpena, Posen, Hawks, Millersburg, Aloha and Cheboygan where local officials can celebrate the trail in their community. The Ribbon Cuttings will be the start point for different length bike rides which will take you to Onaway.

From 12:00 to 2:00 in Onaway there will be the celebration lunch and trail dedication. There are plans for live entertainment, vendor booths and prizes.  Those registered for the ride will receive a  grand opening t-shirt, entry into the drawing, transportation to your car and a great lunch hosted by our partners. You can also just register for lunch. Registration Form. . .

Grand Rapids plans this spring to apply for two Recreation Passport grants from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to help pay for 3.5 miles of natural-surface mountain-biking trails at Richmond Park, 1101 Richmond St. NW.

The project proposed at Richmond Park would be part of “The Grand Loop” that will enable riders to access a network of off-street trails via on-street paths, said Kevin Allen, president of the West Michigan Mountain Biking Alliance.

“Why it’s so attractive at Richmond Park is because it marries with the urban bicyclist as well,” Allen said. “You can literally leave from your driveway and ride a little bit on the street and head out from there and hit some mountain-biking trails.

“There’s a lot of little parcels of property that are untouched, and our plans are to develop trails in these (areas) that not only the mountain bikers, but runners and joggers and cross-country skiers, could enjoy.”

Existing mountain-biking trails in the city are at Ken-O-Sha Park, 3155 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, and Grand Rapids Bike Park, 580 Kirtland St. SW. There also are existing trails at Richmond Park “that are not very sustainable,” Allen said.

“Our goal is to redesign those trails and make them something that everybody can use,” he said.

Read more. . .

Article by  Matt Vande Bunte | mvandebu [at] mlive [dot] com

The Michigan Department of Transportation has awarded its latest round of transportation enhancement grants.  There were three trail projects awarded funding in this go-round.  They include:

• West Bloomfield Township will construct an approximately 2.5 mile extension to the existing West Bloomfield Trail from Arrowhead Rd. to Haggerty Rd.  Included in this $1.1 million project is trail surfacing, roadway crossings, benches, trash receptacles, and grading of trail shoulders.
• Thomas Township will receive $512,438 in federal funds to construct a 2.2 mile nonmotorized path, extending the Saginaw Valley Rail Trail to Shields Drive and connecting schools, libraries, and shopping centers.  Included in this $854,060 project will be $170,812 from MDOT for a nonmotorized crossing of M-46.
• Saginaw Township and Kochville Township are contributing $280,663 and receiving federal funds of $521,436 to develop a 2.5 mile trail along Consumer’s Energy right of way from Elmer Lange Park to the terminus of the Kochville Township Trail at McCarty Road. 

The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail got great news last week. The trail received a $1.337M Transit-in-Parks grant! The funds will be used to construct the SBHT through the Lakeshore from Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive to Empire. $250,000 needs to be raised to provide the match for the design/engineering. So far, the 27-mile SBHT has received over $6M in public funding and nearly $1M in private funding. The first nearly 5 miles of trail from Glen Arbor to the Dune Climb will be constructed this spring and open this summer for everyone to enjoy. For information, including how to contribute to the SBHT effort, please contact Pam Darling (231.941.4300, pam [at] traversetrails [dot] org) or visit Sleeping Bear Trail website.