This abandoned railway is now a trail through Pontiac

Back in 2001, I was working for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and taking photos of what is now the Clinton River Trail in Pontiac.  The rail line passed behind a cul-de-sac of new houses just west of downtown Pontiac.

One of the homeowners approached me and asked what I was doing.  He didn’t seem too enthused about me walking behind these homes and taking photos.

I began by explaining our plan to convert this abandoned rail line into a walking and biking trail.  He didn’t seem too sold on the idea, so I noted that trails increase the property values of surrounding homes.  That worked.

He offered me a glass of cold lemonade and said if there was anything I needed, just ask.

A new trail study out of Ohio only confirms what other studies have found and what I told that concerned homeowner:

Across the United States, many conversions of abandoned railroad rights-of-ways into trails have faced opposition from surrounding property owners. Much of the opposition derives from the fear that developing trails would cause a decrease in property values because of loss of privacy, increase in noise, traffic, litter and crime.

The objective of this study is to assess the impact of the Little Miami Scenic Trail on property values. To accomplish this task, the hedonic pricing technique was employed to measure the impact of the trail on single-family residential property values in southwest Ohio. Several of the variables used in this model were measured using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software.

The analysis suggests that, each foot increase in distance to the trail decreases the sale price of a sample property by $7.05. In other words, being closer to the Little Miami Scenic Trail adds value to the single family residential properties.

The current northern end of the I-275 bike path

Yesterday we did some preliminary scouting with MDOT for a possible extension of the I-275 Bike Path.

This extension would begin at the current north end of the I-275 path at Meadowbrook Road, just south of I-96.  The route would continue north and eventually head east to be within the M-5 corridor.

It would intersect the old Coe Railroad, which should hopefully become Oakland Counties next big rails to trails conversion.  It would also intersect 13 Mile and 14 Mile Roads — both popular east-west road bike routes.

The extension would end at Pontiac Trail.  From here one could continue north on the trails planned for Martin Road before heading west and picking up the Lakes Community Trail.

There are no shortage of challenges for building this trail.  From wetlands to steep rolling hills, it’s going to take some smart design to keep the price tag reasonable, but MDOT is committed to getting it done.

Some exciting construction work has begun on the Phase II expansion of the Tri-Centennial State Park on the Detroit Riverwalk.  This project will extend the Riverwalk from Rivard Plaza (where the carousel is) east towards the large grassy berm and then to Atwater.

Below are some photos taken on September 25th by the DNR.

Last Tuesday, the full Detroit City Council approved two resolutions relating to the Non-Motorized Transportation Master Plan.

Why a Master Plan?

Municipalities develop non-motorized master plans to look at their entire area and creates a vision for improved biking and walking facilities based on public input and various data sources.  Typically the plan calls for modifying existing road right-of-ways to better and more safely accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians.  It would also consider non-motorized trails needs as well as related amenities, such as bike racks.

And of course, a good plan would make recommendations on how to change city policies in order to make the planning vision a reality.

Having a good non-motorized plan helps municipalities implement them as road construction projects are planned.  Similarly, it obligates other road agencies (e.g. MDOT) to implement the plan on roads they own within the municipality.

And finally, having system-wide plans such as these improves the chances for grant funding to help implement the plan.

Detroit’s Plan

MDOT funded a non-motorized plan for Detroit.  Giffels-Webster along with other firms and the City of Detroit developed the plan.   The plan calls for various improvements for walking and biking in Detroit, including nearly 400 miles of bike lanes.

Link to Detroit Non-motorized Transportation Master Plan

City Council Resolutions

The plan was first presented to Council President Ken Cockrel Jr.’s Green Task Force.  We received a very favorable response and Mr. Cockrel got this on a council committee agenda.  With a solid showing of public support, the committee created resolutions to approve it.

Both resolutions are shown below: (more…)

It’s one very popular question: When is the West Bloomfield trail going to continue west and connect with the Huron Valley Trail. Soon we may have an answer.

But first, why is there an 8 mile missing link between these two existing trails? Unlike the other surrounding railroad segments, this one was never abandoned. In fact the dinner train (Coe Railroad) was running on this track until recently. That train has now stopped and the railroad property is being abandoned and sold.

West Bloomfield’s portion (shown in green on the map below) will be available first since there are no existing rail customers along the tracks. West Bloomfield is pursuing grants to acquire the land and extend their trail west to Haggerty Road.

The other railroad property (shown in blue) did have some rail customers, so the abandonment process will take longer. still communities along the way are looking at possibly purchasing the property for a trail. We encourage them to make that purchase to help complete the Michigan Airline trail from Lake St. Clair to Lake Michigan. (“Michigan Airline” was the name of the rail line which this trail uses to cross the state.)

The Spinal Column recently ran an article with additional details: Communities may buy Coe Railroad for trails.

Lastly, this missing link would also connect with the proposed I-275 pathway extension along M-5.  We’ve also advocated for trails along Martin Road to connect with Oakland Park and the Lakes Community Trail.

[geo_mashup_map]