July 25, 2015
Plans for a 26-mile pedestrian and bike pathway encircling the city of Detroit are moving at a fast clip this summer, with schematic designs underway and a highly-competitive federal grant request for $10.4 million awaiting approval.
There’s just one snag: 8.3 miles of abandoned railroad property, the largest gap in the trail to date, remains unsecured by the Detroit Greenways Coalition and is needed to close the circle.
Negotiations continue with Conrail, owner of the rail property that was part of the old Detroit Terminal Railroad, yet no agreement has been reached after nearly a year of talks.
The hiccup has officials concerned but it isn’t stopping development of the Inner Circle Greenway, which uses about 10.8 miles of Detroit’s better-known biking and walking paths — Dequindre Cut, Detroit RiverWalk and Southwest Detroit Greenways — to link to another 15.2 miles of new pathway.
Once completed, the loop will span from the riverfront downtown to north of the Davison Freeway and link neighborhoods through Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park and Dearborn, connecting 170 miles of existing bike lanes and shared-used paths. It will take $25 million to complete construction.
Plans progress for 26-mile bike path around Detroit
Jennifer Chambers. July 25, 2015, The Detroit News