New Border to Border Trail segment breaks ground in Scio Township

Rylee Barnsdale | Wednesday, July 27, 2022

The Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, the Huron-Clinton Metropark Authority, and the Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative officially broke ground on a new segment of the B2B Trail at Delhi Metropark on July 14. Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission

A new segment of the Border to Border (B2B Trail) has broken ground, connecting Delhi Metropark to Zeeb Road in Scio Township.

The new segment will add just over a mile to the current B2B Trail, including the trail's fourth bridge over the Huron River, and solidify a long stretch of trail extending east from downtown Dexter. The Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, the Huron-Clinton Metropark Authority, and the Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative (HWPI) officially broke ground on the segment at Delhi Metropark on July 14. In an email interview, HWPI Executive Director Kiff Hamp says HWPI has funded about 30-40% of the B2B project, with other support coming from local millages as well as county, state, and federal funding.

Beyond financial contributions, HWPI also has been working to expand volunteer programs to get Washtenaw County residents involved in the project. Hamp says HWPI is launching a new Trail Ambassador Volunteer Program in pilot form next month. He says the program will include three to four volunteers who will serve as the "eyes and ears of the trail," providing information to trail users and supporting light trail maintenance.

HWPI aims to connect Washtenaw County not only through volunteer programs, but also through a physical connection stretching from Ypsilanti Township to west of Chelsea.

"The B2B Trail will quite literally link the entire county from east to west," Hamp says.

While there is no official completion date for the B2B, Hamp estimates the project should be completed within the next three to five years.

More information on the B2B, as well as a map of currently accessible trails, is available here.

Rylee Barnsdale is a Michigan native and longtime Washtenaw County resident. She wants to use her journalistic experience from her time at Eastern Michigan University writing for the Eastern Echo to tell the stories of Washtenaw County residents that need to be heard.

Photo courtesy of Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation.