Trail enthusiasts give ideas for new links
Identification of potential routes for new trails — either on their own or connecting to existing paths — was the purpose of a recent meeting organized by the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission.
Program Assistant Suzann Flowers says the participants offered useful input as plans to map trails for non-motorized use proceed. Between 30 to 40 people turned out.
The trails are those in the nine county region that includes Allegan, Barry, Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Calhoun, Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
When groups seek grant funding for construction of non-motorized routes the existence of plans such as those being developed help validate the projects.
A number of preliminary maps were examined. One of the most discussed was the priority non-motorized trail projects, divided into North-South Projects and West-East Projects.
The routes for North-South projects are: the Lakeshore, along the coast of Lake Michigan; a Wayland to Sturgis route; one that follows M-40 from Allegan to Cass County; along M-66 from Battle Creek to Athens; and along I-69 (Old US 27) through Branch and Calhoun counties.
The proposed West-East projects are: a trail from Holland to Nashville; Airline Trail from South Haven along the existing Kal-Haven Trail, the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail and east to Port Huron on Lake Huron; M-60 from Niles into Three Rivers, a trail that roughly follows U.S. 12 that would be part of a regional system from Detroit to Milwaukee.
Senior Planner-Marcy Colclough and Flowers took comments on the mapping work being done.
The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission will be taking comments on the planned direction for non-motorized routes through Aug. 15.
Maps are available on the commission’s website.
Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Suzann Flowers, Southwest Michigan Planning Commission
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