Trail Expansion
April 12, 2010
Transportation Enhancement grants with matches from WMTGC
The city of Belding and the Friends of the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail will acquire 16 miles of the abandoned Mid-Michigan Railroad corridor from north of Lowell to Greenville, making it the fifth-largest rail trail in the nation. The newly acquired section will connect to the region's existing 40-mile Fred Meijer Heartland Trail, the 42-mile Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail system, and the Mid-Michigan Railroad Line that travels 15 miles from Ionia to Lowell. The result will be a combined 120-mile rail-to-trail system that traverses six counties. The project cost is $1,111,500, including $650,000 in federal TE funds and $461,500 in match from the West Michigan Trails and Greenways Coalition.
The Montcalm County Road Commission will construct the seventh phase of the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail from the village of Edmore to the east Montcalm County line near Riverdale, linking previously constructed portions of the trail at both ends. To date, nearly 40 miles of the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail have been constructed. The trail benefits Montcalm County residents, as well as residents of the surrounding communities of Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Mt. Pleasant. When complete, the trail will link Greenville and Alma, running 50 miles through naturally beautiful state game areas and the diverse agricultural production base of central Michigan. The project will pave the trail, rehabilitate the bridge and add permanent signs. The project cost is $1,722,775, including $721,843 in federal TE funds. The Friends of the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail, with the support of the Meijer Foundation, is contributing $400,932 in matching funds, and the West Michigan Trails and Greenways Coalition is contributing $600,000 in match.
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