Work to begin on border-to-border trail section in Dexter
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the location of future phases of the trail.
Workers will soon begin constructing on a section of Washtenaw County's border-to-border trail in Dexter.
The Village Council Monday approved a connector for the trail that will run from the Westridge subdivision on the northwestern edge of Dexter through Warrior Creek Park under the railroad bridge and then an additional 100 feet past that point to an overlook for a total length of close to 600 feet. That would be the first section of the trail built in the Village of Dexter.
Coy Vaughn, superintendent of park planning for Dexter, said the trail will include a 45-foot bridge over Mill Creek in Dexter and 255 feet of elevated boardwalk with an observation deck at the end of it.
The newly agreed upon section of the trail will be finished sometime by next summer. The Westridge subdivision is isolated now, and the trail will provide a connection into town," Vaughn said.
Border-to-border trail sign near St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Superior Township.
File photo
A second phase will connect the trail to the Dexter-Huron Metropark, and a third phase will connect the already-completed part of the trail that runs from North Territorial Road to Hudson Mills, to the Village of Dexter. Those segments should be completed by 2012.
"Dexter will be a real hot spot for non-motorized travel," said Bob Tetens, director of the Washtenaw County's Parks and Recreation Commission.
Seventeen miles of 35-mile border-to-border trail has been completed, mostly in the eastern part of the county. The existing trail is 10-feet wide and made of asphalt and crushed stone. It's aimed at walkers and bicyclists.
The Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission has committed about $1.3 million toward the construction of the project. The project has been awarded a match grant of $780,000 by the Michigan Department of Transportation. It has also received commitments of at least $860,000 from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and $100,000 from the Washtenaw County Road Commission.
Comments
Klaus
Thu, Sep 8, 2011 : 12:58 a.m.
I've ridden all of the B2B and like it. The Dexter section should be nice too. I feel that the utility of the Dexter section could be significantly increased if access slits to Wylie, Fleming, Horseshoe Bend and Huron Creek road communities were provided. With it's diversity of shops, eateries and services, down town Dexter is a common destination for the hundreds of people living in these areas. Dexter-Pinckney road is NOT pedestrian or bicycle friendly so this section could also provide a safe, convenient and beautiful alternative to driving into town. Ideally only three access slits, with no parking, through the HCMA fence would be needed. One for Wylie, another for Fleming and Horseshoe Bend and a third for Huron Creek. Trails leading form the access slits to the B2B would be fine as single-track covered with gravel or slag sand if needed. The cost would be minimal and they would provide minimal security issues to HCMA officers. I know my family would use it a lot.
Mark
Mon, Sep 13, 2010 : 4:40 a.m.
I can't wait for the Dexter section! We're going to try out the AA portion as soon as possible. Just got a couple of new bikes for the kids.
foobar417
Thu, Sep 2, 2010 : 6:26 p.m.
Thanks for updating the story!
foobar417
Wed, Sep 1, 2010 : 9:08 a.m.
This story is very confusing about what is actually planned. In particular, this sentence makes very little sense: "A second phase will connect the trail to the Huron-Clinton Metropark, and the third phase of the trail will be to connect the already completed Hudson Mills trail at North Territorial, close to three miles away to the rest of the trail. Those segments should be completed by 2012." There is no particular "Huron-Clinton Metropark". All the metroparks are the Huron-Clinton metroparks. I'm guessing the writer meant the Dexter-Huron metropark, which is the other metropark near Dexter. Also the sentence appears to be a run-on with at least one missing comma. Should this paragraph perhaps read (I'm just guessing): "A second phase will connect the first phase trail to the Dexter-Huron Metropark, and the third phase will connect the already completed Hudson Mills trail leading from North Territorial along the west bank of the Huron to the first phase of the trail. Those segments should be completed by 2012." It would be good to get this clarified, as the ewashtenaw site is hopelessly out of date as well and I couldn't find anything on the village of Dexter site.
Ryan Munson
Sat, Aug 28, 2010 : 9:52 p.m.
I think this is one of the greatest amenities offered in our area other than our library system that I use consistently. After the system is complete, have we figured out how it is going to be maintained?
foobar417
Sat, Aug 28, 2010 : 12:52 p.m.
This will be fantastic when it's complete (all the way up to Hudson Mills). I look forward to using this after riding out Huron River Drive from Ann Arbor.
julieswhimsies
Sat, Aug 28, 2010 : 12:38 p.m.
This is a wonderful green addition to the area. Please note that this trail is not simply for cyclists...but for hikers, as well.
BonoVox
Sat, Aug 28, 2010 : 8:02 a.m.
I rode the Ann arbor portion of the trail yesterday with my son. What a great resource to have in our community. These types of amenities that improve the quality of life are the things that help to attract and keep young college graduates, which in turn encourages more businesses to locate here and increases property values.
blahblahblah
Sat, Aug 28, 2010 : 7:34 a.m.
Congrats Dexter! In terms of the millions in washtenaw county greenbelt millage dollars, does anyone know how much has been spent on the border-to-border trail? It doesn't seem like much if any of those dollars have been spent on this project which is a shame. I would love to bike to Ypsi or Dexter if there was a dedicated bike trail - away from the dangerous roadways. If this bike trail were ever completed it would encourage more non-motorized commuting into Ann Arbor during the summer months.
scooter dog
Sat, Aug 28, 2010 : 7:33 a.m.
good place for all the cry baby bicyclists to go,no stone chips here,no cars to worry about.
chip reed
Sat, Aug 28, 2010 : 7:08 a.m.
it's the bridge next to the new library, I believe.
FLSTC
Sat, Aug 28, 2010 : 6:41 a.m.
Now that I look closer, it must be a bridge farther west.
FLSTC
Sat, Aug 28, 2010 : 6:38 a.m.
per the map: "new pedestrian bridge under the railroad bridge" Are they indicating the old stone/arch bridge? I'm having trouble "seeing" this..