Detroit Trails
Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance (MTGA) is facilitating coordination and collaboration among the greenway groups and other partners for the purpose of developing an interconnected greenway system within the City of Detroit.
- Midtown Loop Greenway
- Southwest Detroit/Dearborn Greenway
- Lyndon Avenue Greenway
- Dequindre Cut
- Detroit Rivewalk
- Conner Creek Greenway (and Milbank)
- Corktown-Mexicantown Greenlink
- Hamtramck Greenway
- Fort Street Greenway
Join us on Facebook
We’ve created a Detroit Trails and Greenways group on Facebook. It’s a new and exciting way to stay on top of trail events and news within the cities of Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park. Come join us!
Detroit News Update!
Detroit City Council recently approved an MDOT-funded Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan.
Giffels-Webster along with other firms and the City of Detroit developed the plan, which calls for various improvements for walking and biking in Detroit, including greenways and nearly 400 miles of bike lanes.
Link to Detroit Non-motorized Transportation Master Plan
While this plan had been accepted by Detroit Traffic Engineering, it wasn’t getting implemented. And, since it had not been endorsed by City Council, MDOT had reservations about whether it was truly official.
MTGA and others vowed to change that.
We worked to get the plan formally presented to Council President (now Mayor) Ken Cockrel Jr.’s Green Task Force. We received a very favorable response.
Next, the plan was presented to the city council’s Public Health and Safety Committee. With a solid showing of public support, the committee created resolutions to approve it. Those resolutions were approved on September 16th, 2008 by the full council.
Midtown Loop Greenway
| Contact | Sue Mosey University Cultural Center Association susanmosey [at] gmail [dot] com |
The Midtown Loop will be a 2-mile greenway trail that will follow existing street patterns, specifically following Kirby Street, John R Street, Canfield Street, and Cass Avenue. Warren and Woodward 
Avenues will serve as the central connectors. The Midtown Loop will connect the campuses of Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center, and will be linked to greenway initiatives in surrounding areas, providing a key component of a larger greenway network linking New Center to Downtown and the River. The Midtown Loop will help reclaim rights-of-way for pedestrians in our community by creating a widened walkway, improved pedestrian crossings, and using a variety of planting beds to safely separate pedestrians from vehicle traffic. Unique lighting will also replace the current inadequate lighting to improve visibility and spotlight the new development along its course. The Midtown Loop will also help the community reclaim much needed green space and contribute positively to the quality of life and the lifestyle of this community. By reintroducing native vegetation and incorporating public art along the greenway, we will create a special environment that will help create a strong sense of place and community. The total cost of the Loop is estimated to be $9 million. A design for Phase 1 has already been developed and fundraising for Phase 1 is complete. Construction of Phase 1 is scheduled for fall of 2008, and has been made possible by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Michigan State, $2 million in federal earmarking, Metropolitan Title, and the Woodward Avenue Action Association. Google Map Link
Southwest Detroit/Dearborn Greenway
(Rouge River Gateway Link)
| Contact | Kathy Wendler Southwest Detroit Business Association kathyw [at] southwestdetroit [dot] com |
This greenway currently includes a paved pathway through Detroit’s Patton Park, a paved path around Dearborn’s Lapeer park, and an on-road signed bike route which connects the two. There are plans to further expand this greenway with connections to the Rouge Gateway Project, Fort Street Greenway, and Corktown-Mexicantown Greenlink. Google Map Link
Lyndon Avenue Greenway Project
| Contact | Mary Banks Northwest Detroit Neighborhood Development banksndnd [at] ameritech [dot] net |
The Lyndon GreenWay will be located on a 1.5-mile section of Lyndon Avenue, a residential area between Bramell and Auburn streets in the northwest community of Brightmoor. A key element in the Brightmoor community’s revitalization efforts, this tree-shaded “green corridor” will provide a setting for an inviting array of new recreational, educational, and social opportunities for residents. This proposed greenway connects two of Detroit’s large, wooded cityparks—Eliza Howell Park and Stoepel Park—as greenway bookends. Google Map Link
Dequindre Cut and Detroit Riverwalk
| Contact | Leonard Marszalek Detroit Riverfront Conservancy leonard [dot] marszalek [at] detroitriverfront [dot] org |
he Dequindre Cut is a rails-to-trails project currently underdevelopment. When completed, the Cut will connect the Riverwalk and Tri-Centennial State Park to Eastern Market, Hamtramck, and the Midtown Greenway. It’s expected that Phase I from Woodbridge to Eastern Market will open in October 2008.
From the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy website:
The Detroit International Riverfront is a planned 5 ½ miles of public waterfront, linked by a continuous RiverWalk and parks, plazas and green spaces. As of June 2007, more than 2 ½ miles of East Riverfront is 
open to the public, including:
- 1 ½ miles of RiverWalk from Joe Louis Arena to Rivard Street
- 1 ¼ miles of RiverWalk from Stroh’s River Place at Joseph Campau Street to Mt. Elliot Park, as well as RiverWalk at Gabriel Richard Park
- Rivard Plaza and Pavilion, located at Rivard Street
- Gabriel Richard Park Plaza and Pavilion
Conner Creek Greenway and Milbank Trail
| Contacts | Libby Pachota Detroit Eastside Community Collaborative (DECC) connercreekgreenway [at] gmail [dot] com |
| Maggie Desantis Warren/ Conner Development Coaltion and DECC mdesantis [at] warrenconner [dot] org |
|
| Pat Bosch Nortown CDC and DECC villagendet [at] aol [dot] com |
Conner Creek Greenway is a planned nine-mile pathway along Conner and St. Jean. When completed, it will run from Eight Mile Road to the Maheras Gentry Park on the Detroit River. Two miles have already been built along Conner from the City Airport south to Harper. An additional quarter-mile connector trail called the Milbank has also been completed. The Milbank trail runs from Van Dyke to Conner.
There are also plans to connect the Conner Creek Greenway with trail developments in Warren and Macomb County.
The Corktown-Mexicantown Greenlink
| Contacts | Tim McKay Greater Corktown Development Corporation timm_gcdc [at] sbcglobal [dot] net |
| Rosalinda Ybarra Greater Corktown Development Corporation reyconsult [at] gmail [dot] com |
From the Corktown website:
The Corktown-Mexicantown Greenlink will develop greenway linkages connecting the Greater Corktown and Mexicantown/Hubbard Communities to Detroit’s West Riverfront. These communities, fronting on the Detroit River, are bounded by West Grand Boulevard on the West, Martin Luther King Boulevard on the North, and the Lodge Freeway on the east. This project is an integral part of a riverfront greenway plan that extends along the Detroit River from Belle Isle to Riverside Park.
Hamtramck Greenway System
| Contact | Phil Kwik Preserve our Parks (POP) colakwik [at] comcast [dot] net |
The Hamtramck Greenway is a planned 1.5-mile that will eventually connect Downtown Hamtramck with the Dequindre Cut and the Detroit Riverfront. The trail also passes through historic Veterans’ Memorial Park and a diverse community of Polish, Bengali, and Arabic residents. The Trail is a project of Preserve Our Parks, a 10-year old non-profit community organization in Hamtramck, Michigan. Google Map Link
Fort Street Greenway
| Contact | Marion Bloye Bridging Communities mbloye [at] mich [dot] com |
This Greenway is being developed and constructed in partnership with MDOT. The east end of the greenway ends at the Fort Street Bridge, which MDOT has scheduled for replacement. The greenway travels west along Fort and eventually connects into the Fort-Visger Greenway network which is being developed by the CIties of Ecorse, River Rouge, Lincoln Park, and Detroit (48217). The Fort-Visger Greenway is part of the Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative.
Additional Contacts
- Dennis Nordmoe, Neighborhood Centers, Inc., ncinc [at] aol [dot] com
- Leor Barak, Community Legal Resources, lbarak [at] clronline [dot] org
- Tom Woiwode, CFSEM, twoiwode [at] cfsem [dot] org
- Sue Weckerle, CFSEM, sweckerle [at] cfsem [dot] org
- Todd Scott, MTGA, todd [at] michigantrails [dot] org
- Nancy Krupiarz, MTGA, nancy [at] michigantrails [dot] org
For a free copy of the 
