Model D recently posted this great video on the Dequindre Cut. Tom Woiwode from the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan has been a major champion of this project from the start.
The big question is when will it be open. As of last week it was 90% to 95% completed. There are still some finishing touches to be completed. The target grand opening is October 1st.
The Trust Fund helped acquire the Clinton River Trail in Rochester Hills, Michigan
Governor Granholm recently signed Senate Bill 978 into law. This bill adds the following directive for the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund:
The board shall give particular consideration to the acquisition of land and rights in land for
recreational trails that intersect the downtown areas of cities and villages.
Trails in urban areas have often been at a disadvantage when applying for Trust Fund grants. They often don’t offer pristine natural resources yet they cost more than land located in more rural parts of Michigan. To offset this disparity, the Trust Fund scoring system did provide extra points for regional trails.
It’s not clear how much of a change this will have in the grant process, but it should make trails in Southeast Michigan a bit more attractive.
We believe the Monkey was lost due to the Lafayette Ramp access
The Detroit Free Press is reporting today that the Dequindre Cut is at least 6 weeks away from opening.
The graffiti, some of it spectacular, is staying. It decorates the old bridge abutments and helps to create a dazzling visual effect — gritty artwork, old walls and big shade trees contrasting with the newly paved path, plantings and modern lights and security phones. Fixtures for the lights and phones are in place but remain unfinished.
Above the trail, you can see the Mies van der Rohe towers of Lafayette Park and the 19th-Century steeple of St. Joseph Church. The dominant sound, at least on a Sunday, was bird songs.
Construction is still underway on Detroit’s Dequindre Cut Greenway. Light posts and emergency call boxes are still being installed. It appears the trail surface base is ready for paving. The Antietam bridge has not been completed and it appears to still require considerable work.
Will it be ready for the planned grand opening in August? We hope so.
They don’t disappoint. The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) puts on an incredibly valuable and inspiring world summit every couple years. This year’s in Park City, Utah continued that winning streak.
Of course, how can you go wrong when you combine perfect weather, cold beers, the world’s foremost mountain bike advocates and Park City’s 300 miles of singletrack?