Projects Expand Lansing-Area Network Of Trails
DELHI TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - Two projects due to be completed by this fall in the Lansing area will expand the region's network of recreational trails, boosting opportunities for walking, running and biking.
Crews have begun work in Ingham County's Delhi Township on the 2.1 mile, $3 million Sycamore Trail project, which will stretch from the Lansing River Trail at Maguire Park and connect with a trail that goes into Holt, the Lansing State Journal reported.
"People are so excited about it," Tracy Miller, director of community development for Delhi Township, said of the work. "I hear people talking about what how great it is to take a whole afternoon with the kids and ride (bicycles) to Potter Park Zoo."
In the coming weeks, crews plan to break ground in Lansing on the South Lansing Pathway, a $2.1 million hiking and biking trail that will add more than five miles to the Lansing River Trail network. It will run mainly along a Consumers Energy right of way.
"It's really going to be a transformational year for south Lansing," said Chad Gamble, the city's director of operations.
Federal funding is expected to cover more than 80 percent of the South Lansing Pathway's cost.
Most days, David Louth of Lansing walks his dog, Monica, on the Lansing River Trail near Maguire Park. He said he expects to use the new trail as well.
"She loves this one, so I know she'll love the new one," Louth said.
The Sycamore Trail project in Delhi Township is funded largely by two grants, including $1.4 million from the Michigan Department of Transportation and $300,000 from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The township is making up the difference.
The projects are part of ongoing efforts to expand the trail network. Once Sycamore Trail is completed, Delhi Township's next pathway project is the 1.5-mile, $1.8 million Ram Trail, which is expected to be constructed by 2015. It is funded in part by a $1.1 million state grant.
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