Milford Trail

The village of Milford, in partnership with the Charter Township of Milford, the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority, and the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, will construct 2.9 miles of non-motorized trail. The trail will go from north of General Motors Road at the Milford Dam, then south across General Motors Road into Kensington Metropark, and continue south toward the intersection of Milford Road and Huron River Parkway. It will be an integral part of a much larger planned system within the county and region. A portion of the non-motorized network has been constructed, including the Kensington Metropark loop, a connection under I-96 and into Island Lake State Recreation Area, and the Huron Valley Trail that leads southwest into South Lyon and east toward Wixom.

The project cost is $2,538,980, including $609,355 in federal funds, $1,854,625 from the Charter Township of Milford, and $75,000 from the Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan. In addition , the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan GreenWays Initiative provided $50,000 to complete construction drawings and the Huron-ClintonMetropolitan Authority provided $27,000 in-kind services to complete a topographic survey.

Polly Ann Trail

The Road Commission for Oakland County, in cooperation with Orion Township, will construct a non-motorized trail in Orion Township. The project includes resurfacing existing portions of the Polly Ann Trail; acquiring and constructing a 1,045-foot extension of the Polly Ann Trail south of the existing trail; and constructing a trail west on International Transmission Company corridor property. The project includes the purchase of the railroad property, removal of the railroad ties, earthwork, grading and surfacing of the trail with limestone. The project cost is $420,661 including $294,463 in federal TE funds, $51,198 from Orion Township, and $75,000 in GreenWays Initiative funds from the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan.

Downriver Linked Greenways

The city of Gibraltar will construct a non-motorized path on North Gibraltar Road from Middle Gibraltar Road to the Humbug Marsh International Wildlife Refuge. This project, although short in length, will provide an essential connection within the Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative. The path will allow trail users to travel north through the city of Gibraltar from Lake Erie Metropark to the Humbug Marsh International Wildlife Refuge. The project cost is $91,969, including $73,575 in federal TE funds, and $18,394 in local match from the city.

Related Posts

• More Metro Detroit trail news
• Metro Detroit Trail Updates
• Milford Continues on the Right Path

One study examined how to improve non-motorized transportation along Eight Mile. Different solutions were proposed for portions of Eight Mile due to its changing density, traffic speeds, and service levels. Some suggestions included bike lanes, bike parking, improved crossings, and more. With Eight Mile being reconstructed in upcoming years, it’s hoped that some of these suggestions could be integrated with those efforts.

The second study was to connect Detroit’s Conner Creek Greenway to Warren’s Red Run Rec Center. There were two suggested routes, either or both could be implemented. The first crossed east of the Eight Mile/Van Dyke (V-8) intersection and continued north along MacArthur Boulevard and the ITC power line corridor. The other route included on-road bike lanes along Van Dyke, which like Eight Mile will be reconstructed in the near future.

Both routes look good. ?The ITC route offered more greenspace, while the Van Dyke route provide better business access. Also, the Van Dyke route isn’t too far from Sherwood Avenue which provides excellent access between Warren, Centerline, and Detroit. That makes it a tad bit redundant.

The study’s proposed Eight Mile crossing does not include a pedestrian bridge for many of the reasons we cited earlier. MDOT agreed. And there was one additional reason not to build a large steel raised bridge over Eight Mile. It would have to run just under the high-power lines which run down the center boulevard. Doh!

The alternative provides a highly-visible signalized crossing, which really seems to make the most sense for both pedestrians and cyclists. The group proposed a HAWK signalized crossing, which would require some changes to Michigan’s current road laws.

The importance of this cross-county trail link is immense from both the non-motorized and political perspectives. Starting from the Detroit River, one could eventually take the Connor Creek Greenway north to Warren, along the proposed Red Run trail into Madison Heights or Sterling Heights, with connections to the Metro Parkway and Clinton River pathway.

Related Posts

• Huge County Trail Loop planned for Macomb
• New Detroit bike lanes for 2012
• MDOT grants announced for trails and streetscaping

In the meantime, the bigger issue is the International Transmission Companies (ITC) “scorched earth” policy of clearcutting trees within their power line easement.  This easement is on both the trail and the neighboring residential properties.  So far, ITC has cleared trees along the trail from Dequindre to Romeo.  They plan on doing the same devastation to the Clinton River Trail.  Both counties are pursuing all options to prevent or mitigate this destruction.

The Detroit Free Press has an article describing ITC’s devastating actions.

Related Posts

• Metro Detroit trail construction updates
• Metro Detroit Trail Updates for August 2010
• Rochester Hills doesn’t have some basic traffic ordinances