Riding the Milford Trail (Photo by Bill Herman)

Milford is continuing to push ahead as a major regional outdoor recreational center.  They are combining the quaint, authentic small downtown atmosphere with biking, walking, and equestrian trails as well as the Huron River.

Milford is surrounded by the nearby Milford mountain bike trail, Highland State Recreation Area, Proud Lake State Recreation Area, Island Lake State Recreation Area, Kensington Metropark.

And to sweeten the attraction, they’re working to connect all the trails to the Village.  The Huron Valley Trail and Lakes Community Trail are both nearby.

The latest progress is on the 3-mile trail connecting Kensington to the Village.  Currently under construction, it’s expected to be completed by next Memorial Day.

The Detroit News recently covered this new trail construction.  Note that the article photos were taken by longtime mountain biker Bryan Mitchell.

Detroit News:  Workers blazing a trail for biking, walking, fun

It’s been a long time coming.  The Macomb Orchard Trail bridge over M-53 and just east of Romeo is nearly complete.

A bridge grand opening ceremony is planned for this Saturday, October 11th at 1pm.

Link: M-53 Grand Opening information

Before the bridge, crossing M-53 on bike or foot was dangerous.  Fortunately Macomb County Planning, MDOT and the Friends of the Macomb Orchard Trail spearheaded this effort to make this crossing easier and safer.  So while we celebrate the bridge opening, we mustn’t forget to thank those who made it happen.

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.