30-Mile Downriver Greenway Moves Closer To Completion

FLAT ROCK (WWJ/AP) - A 30-mile greenway for bicycle riders, walkers and runners in southeast Michigan is moving closer to completion.

The Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative said a ribbon-cutting is planned for late September on the Flat Rock-Oakwood Connector Trail.

The mile-long trail is the final piece of a 30-mile east-west greenway connecting Oakwoods Metropark and Lake Erie Metropark. A groundbreaking ceremony for the Flat Rock-Oakwood Connector Trail was held Monday afternoon at Huroc Park in Flat Rock.

"The completion of this trail after more than a decade of hard work will now represent the largest greenways link of two Metroparks in the region," Anita Twardesky, co-chairwoman of the Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative, said in a statement.

Funding for the about $684,000 project is being provided through federal money and a local match from the state Department of Transportation and Department of Natural Resources. Work includes construction of the path, from Huroc Park in Flat Rock to Oakwoods Metropark.

The City of Flat Rock and others are involved in the effort. Construction of the overall trail began in 2001 with help from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan's GreenWays Initiative and others. Since then, about 29 miles of trail have been completed.

Keep up with the project's progress at www.downrivergreenways.org.

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