New bridge in Pontiac connects Clinton River Trail

--This article originally appeared on April 16, 2009

Non-motorized traffic on the Clinton River Trail will soon have an option to crossing Telegraph Road that doesn't include dodging fast moving traffic.

The state has approved spending $2.1 million to build a bridge over U.S.-24 in Pontiac, connecting two points of the Clinton River Trail. The bridge will be built for both pedestrians and bicyclists.

"It will close one of the last remaining gaps and it's one of the most difficult gaps because its a state highway," says Dan Keifer, a member of the steering committee for the Friends of the Clinton River Trail.

Crossing that section of Telegraph Road isn't exactly friendly to people trying to get around in something other than an automobile. Car regularly whiz through the seven-lane highway, one of the busiest in northern Oakland County.

The 16-mile-long Clinton River Trail system has been slashing through more and more of Pontiac recently. A 1.5 mile extension was added last year, connecting the trail to downtown and major institutions, like the Phoenix Plaza Amphitheater. The Friends of the Clinton River Trail plans to connect that extension to Auburn Hills soon.

The Clinton River Trail is a recreational trail on an abandoned rail line through the heart of Oakland County. It connects the cities of Sylvan Lake, Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills and Rochester. It also connects with the existing West Bloomfield Trail to the west and the Macomb Orchard Trail to the east.

Source: Dan Keifer, a member of the steering committee for the Friends of the Clinton River Trail and State of Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke

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New bridge in Pontiac connects Clinton River Trail

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