MDOT and the city of Pontiac are hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for the new trail bridge over Telegraph. The ceremony is August 12th at 10AM on the eastern edge of the bridge near Old Telegraph.

This bridge will connect two important pieces of the Clinton River Trail that are currently very difficult to connect using surface streets. A rendering of the bridge is shown on the right. This project is being funded primarily with ARRA (a.k.a. stimulus) money. The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund is also contributing.

This still leaves one major gap in the Clinton River Trail for Pontiac: from Bagley Street west of Downtown to the Auburn Hills border at Opdyke.

We are clearly ignoring the trail’s improper signed routing of the Clinton River Trail through Downtown Pontiac on sidewalks. Yes, a newly signed bicycle route on sidewalks.

We’re not sure how such obvious mistake could have been funded by MDOT given the AASHTO bicycle guidelines clear instructions against it — especially within a central business district. It’s unsafe for cyclists and pedestrians.

Macomb Orchard Trail: More Asphalt

The Detroit News is reporting that nine more miles of the Macomb Orchard Trail will be paved.

Officials recently authorized the county to seek a low-interest loan to pay for paving those parts of the trail.

“We’ve already submitted our application and it’s being reviewed,” said Bob Hoepfner, the county’s chief highway engineer. “Hopefully we’ll know if it’s approved in about a month. We’d like to get it paved this year if we can.”

There were many complaints about the existing pea gravel surface, so this is certainly good news for cyclists and pedestrians.

Milford Village: Seeking Sidepaths

Another Oakland County government with its DDA was looking to build a side paths for bicyclists (calling them “safety” paths) in spite of the AASHTO bicycle guidelines against it. This sidepath would include 18 intersections in less than one-third of a mile: 2 sidewalks, 3 roads, and 13 residential driveways.

“We asked how can we do this economically,” [Village Manager Arthur] Shufflebarger said. “The DDA went through the options, and said this one was the least expensive.”

They apparently didn’t go through the AASHTO bicycle design guidelines for options. The least expensive option would be an safe, on-road connection.

That said, the?sidepath project was stopped within the same month due to other reasons.

I-275 Metro Trail: Open House

MDOT is scheduling another 5.5 miles of trail reconstruction along I-275 for next spring. This includes rehabilitating “six bridges and two boardwalks, install a pedestrian signal at Ecorse Road and upgrade signs.”

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is hosting an open house-style meeting to provide an overview on the 2011 construction work on the I-275 Metro Trail in Wayne County. The project includes reconstruction of the bike path between US-12 (Michigan Avenue) and I-94. Interested stakeholders will have the opportunity to learn details and provide feedback regarding this project.

The open house is August 10th, from 5pm until 7pm at the Fellows Creek Golf Club (2936 South Lotz Road in Canton.)

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• Metro Detroit trail construction updates
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• Trust Fund Grants for Metro Detroit

The purpose of this grant opportunity is to fund local health departments and one of their communities that are ready to work on passing a local Complete Streets ordinance. This is to support Michigan in having safer and connected communities in Michigan, increase assess to daily physical activity for transportation and recreation, and increase the physical activity levels in Michigan to reduce chronic disease and obesity in communities.

Grants up to $12,000 were available to five Michigan communities this year and another five next year.

The Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion (DHWP) applied for this funding. We learned this week that Detroit was among the five chosen.

There are many grant requirements, including passing a Complete Streets ordinance by January 31, 2011.

DWHP also applied for Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) funding through the Centers for Disease Control — also available through ARRA.

In Detroit’s application, much of that funding would go towards obesity prevention through building “Healthy Zone” neighborhoods which included active living and transportation. Unfortunately, Detroit was not chosen.

Nonetheless, it’s great to see another city department recognizing the need for better biking and walking in Detroit.

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Bids were expected Thursday on the project with construction starting in late May and early June.

The bridge should be completed by Nov. 15, according to officials.

Mayor Leon Jukowski said the bridge would provide a safe place for people to enjoy the natural beauty of the parks and river trail.

“It’s a great opportunity for the city and it will connect us with our neighboring communities,” he said.

This project is being paid for through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) also know as the stimulus funding.

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One interesting quote from Macomb County highlights the importances of biking and walking infrastructure investments as a means for attracting new companies and jobs.

Steve Cassin, the county’s director of planning and economic development, said surveys have shown that the top two factors for industry looking to locate a new operation include the availability of work force and quality of life. Greenways and outdoor offerings, he said, are a major factor in quality of life considerations.

I-275 Metro Trail

We’d mentioned earlier that the I-275 bike path (now called the I-275 Metro Trail) received $4 million in stimulus funding for reconstruct the trail from Michigan Avenue to Hines Drive. However, it did not get any round two stimulus funding.

However, bids for MDOT’s stimulus projects have been coming about 10% lower than anticipated. That has freed up additional money that MDOT will use to reconstruct the I-275 Metro Trail from Michigan Avenue south to Sibley Road, where it will connect with the Willow Metropark.

This is great news and a critical connection.

Detroit Trails

Some trail projects in the city of Detroit also received stimulus funding.

The biggest project is Phase I of the Midtown Loop. This project will transform the sidewalks on Kirby and John R into more of a RiverWalk design — wide paths with benches, art, and more. It also includes bike storage. The project has gone out to bid and construction is expected to begin in this spring.

Another project is a resurfacing project on St. Jean from Jefferson to Mack Avenue. Once resurfaced, St. Jean will have bike lanes and become another completed segment of the Conner Creek Greenway. This project has been awarded and construction should begin this spring as well.

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As it turns out, all of the states did. Their money will not funnel back to Michigan.

This is unfortunate because some projects were on the list to receive this second round of funding. A second I-275 Metro Trail (formerly known as the I-275 bike path) project was one of them, as was the Conner Creek Greenway in Detroit.

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The City of Royal Oak is interested in receiving proposals for technical consultant services to assist the city to develop and/or implement a strategy for… the development of a non-motorized transportation plan to site and install infrastructure such as bicycle routes, lanes, pathways, and signed shared roadways, as well as sidewalks and pedestrian walkways.

UPDATE: “The submission deadline for proposals is Wednesday, June 24, 2009, at 5:00 p.m. For more information, contact Doug Hedges or Joseph Murphy at (248) 246-3280.”?The proposal deadline is June 12th and the city expects to select the winning proposal(s) by sometime around June 25th.

This is a critical first step to improving the quality of travel for those who are providing their own motor.

And it’s great news for anyone who bikes, walks, or runs in Royal Oak.

Link: Royal Oak Request for Proposals

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This funding is another a portion of the overall economic stimulus package and it can fund bicycling planning, construction, and programming:

Entities may develop and implement programs to conserve energy used in transportation, including but not limited to:

• Development of infrastructure such as bike lanes and pathways and pedestrian walkways;
• State/locals/regional integrated planning activities (i.e. transportation, housing, environmental, energy,land use) with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled;
• Incentive programs to reduce commutes by single occupancy vehicles;

Nearly $58 million will go to Michigan cities, townships, and counties that already receive block grant funding (see list below.) A minimum of just over $11 million will be awarded competitively among Michigan’s other communities.

The application deadline is June 25th, 2009. Any awarded funds must be obligated within 18 months.

Royal Oak, Novi and Detroit

Both of these cities are applying for EECBG funding to develop non-motorized transportation master plans. These plans would help both cities develop a strategy for making their cities more walkable and bikeable. (Troy is current going through this plannng.)

Detroit already has a non-motorized transportation plan, so we will be encouraging them so spend a portion of this funding on implementing the plan.

What Can You Do?

We are encouraging all cyclists to contact their local government and ask that they apply for EECBG funding to make their community more bike friendly.

If your city doesn’t have a non-motorized transportation plan (and nearly all don’t in Metro Detroit), EECBG funding can pay for one. This is a good starting point for cities looking to become more bike friendly. For cities like Royal Oak and Novi, these plans costs between $40K and $50K

As mentioned, some cities are automatically eligible for a specific amount of funding. Here’s a listing for eligible cities in Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne County. For a complete listing, visit Michigan’s Recovery web site.

Macomb County

• Chesterfield Twp: $181,000
• Clinton Twp: $894,600
• Macomb County: $746,400
• Macomb Twp: $610,200
• City of Roseville: $198,600
• Shelby Twp: $651,200
• City of St. Clair Shores: $544,000
• City of Sterling Heights: $1,203,800
• City of Warren: $1,358,600

Oakland County

• Bloomfield: $169,500
• Commerce Township: $151,000
• Farmington Hills: $791,300
• Novi: $533,100
• Oakland County: $4,879,700
• Pontiac: $683,800
• Rochester Hills: $642,700
• Royal Oak: $543,400
• Southfield: $875,700
• Troy: $921,100
• Waterford: $641,400

Wayne County

• Wayne County: $4,914,200
• Canton Township: $754,100
• City of Dearborn: $970,800
• City of Dearborn Heights: $477,700
• City of Detroit: $8,862,400
• City of Lincoln Park: $145,500
• City of Livonia: $971,100
• City of Redford: $188,000
• City of Taylor: $596,000
• City of Westland: $731,100

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Some segments of the bike path are in such repair that they've been closed

The 44-mile long I-275 Bike Path is getting some love.

For the next two Saturdays, the Friends of the I-275 Bike Path are hosting trail cleanup days. The details are below.

If you ever ride on the I-275 Pathway, now is the time to pitch in and get it in shape for the spring & summer riding season! The Friends of the I-275 Pathway are organizing cleanup dates the next two weekends.

The first is Saturday, April 18th, from 9 a.m. to noon. We’ll be gathering on the west side of the Duo-gard parking lot in Canton Twp. at 40442 Koppernick (just east of Haggerty).

The second is the following Saturday, April 25th, same time. We’ll meet up at the rest area on northbound I-275 north of Michigan Ave.

Power tools are not permitted, so bring brooms, rakes, shovels, pruners, tree-loppers, or any kind of hand tool to trim trees, cut back brush and pick up litter. Wear long sleeves and pants. Water and a light snack will be provided. In case of rain, the workdays will be pushed back to the following Sunday.

If you have any questions contact Dave Duffield (248-994-3074, dduffield@lmb.org)

And as we mentioned earlier, this trail is receiving economic stimulus funding for some significant and much needed reconstruction. There’s $4 million to start with a possibility of getting another $5 million later.

Today Metromode ran an article with some additional details how what reconstruction will occur and where.

The Michigan Department of Transportation plans to spend about $4 million rebuilding portions of the hiking/biking path along I-275 in Plymouth and Canton townships. The improvements will include new signage for the trail and bringing it up to Americans with Disability Act standards.

The I-275 Bike Path has suffered a lot of wear and tear since it was built in the 1970s. Its 44 miles stretching between Northville and Frenchtown Township have watched erosion, decay and mother nature wreak havoc on the trail, making some parts impassable.

Someday this trail is going to be the fundamental piece of a 200-mile trail beltway encircling Metro Detroit. With funding and volunteer help, we can make this a reality.

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Here are some excerpts:

Portion of dinner train route will soon be a trail

A section of railroad used for a dinner train will become connected to a West Bloomfield trail system.

A $1.5 million grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund will pay for the project.

Plans call for the section of railroad between Arrowhead Road and Haggerty Road to be abandoned, the tracks removed and the trail connected to the west end of the West Bloomfield Trail, a 4.25-mile trail that winds through the township and which was once rail lines.

Pontiac to use $2.1 million grant to build bridge

A $2.1 million stimulus grant has been awarded to the city of Pontiac to build a pedestrian bridge over Telegraph Road to link pathways along the Clinton River Trail, city officials announced Thursday.

The bridge, north of Orchard Lake Road and south of Voorheis, will connect the 16-mile trail that links the cities of Sylvan Lake, Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills and Rochester.

Department of Public Works & Utilities Acting Director Allan Schneck said Pontiac has been the weak link in the line to connect trails from South Lyon all the way to Rochester Hills in Oakland County. Most of the trail has been connected except for the portion through Pontiac.

Recreational path in Detroit to open May 14

The much-delayed Dequindre Cut Greenway, an urban recreational path connecting the east riverfront with the Eastern Market district, will finally open to the public on Thursday, May 14.

There will be a grand opening ceremony at 10 a.m. and activities and entertainment until 2 p.m., according to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, the nonprofit organization that will maintain the Cut.

The 1.2-mile paved greenway was developed through a public, nonprofit and private partnership. It is part of a growing network of greenway paths developing around the city.

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Interim city manager Don Johnson has budgeted that expenditure using stimulus funding from Energy Block Grants. The city has received $543,400 in such funding.

According to the Department of Energy (DOE), the purpose of these block grants are to:

• reduce fossil fuel emissions in a manner that is environmentally sustainable and, to the maximum extent practicable, maximizes benefits for local and regional communities;
• reduce the total energy use of the eligible entities; and
• improve energy efficiency in the building sector, the transportation sector, and other appropriate sectors.

The DOE notes the following activities are eligible for funding:

• Development of infrastructure such as bike lanes and pathways and pedestrian walkways;
• State/locals/regional integrated planning activities (i.e. transportation, housing, environmental, energy, land use) with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled;

So, it’s clearly appropriate for Royal Oak to allocate a portion of these funds to plan for improved biking and walking within the city.

Thanks to the City Commission and staff for allowing this to move forward.

Also, during Monday’s meeting Commissioner Carlo Ginotti moved that this project continue to move forward. It was passed unanimously.

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