TRAVERSE CITY — The Three Mile Trail in East Bay Township was created in 2006. The trail was planned an extension two years later.
Two decades later, the plans for the extension may finally be implemented.
The Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation Trails and East Bay Township officials hosted an open house Tuesday to showcase the plans for the extension of the Three Mile Trail into East Bay along the Three Mile–Hammond corridor and through Mitchell Creek Meadows: The Don and Jerry Oleson Nature Preserve.
“We’re really excited to be able to share some of the final engineering designs with the public,” East Bay Township’s Director of Planning Claire Karner said.
Karner said that the township received feedback from the community that an extension was desired, so the north and south parts of the township would be more connected.
“This trail is going to connect almost 3,000 students,” Karner said. “It’s going to connect our East Bay Township Hall, grocery store, the library, the farmers market. It’s going to connect residents to a nature preserve.”
The extension plan will begin construction on the Safe Routes to School trail next week. However, the rest of the expansion will start construction over the next three years.
The full extension is supposed to affect some of the wetlands in the area, but the effects will be “very minimal,” according to Karner. Township and TART officialsl are working with the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to secure permits.
“It’s going to be majority boardwalk, so we’re not going to be filling wetlands with the project,” Karner said. “It’s exciting to be able to work with the Land Conservancy as they are donating their property for the trail easement, and also it will connect with existing trails on their property.”
CEO of TART Trails, Julie Clark, said that the trail is important because “the community said so.”
“The community has come out over time and time again, both in the township and county levels, asking for ways to connect with our open spaces, connect with the fantastic resources that we’re so lucky to have here,” she said.
One part of the community this extension was built for was the local youth, especially kids within the Norte Youth Cycling program.
“We get to help Norte kids get out of those school campuses and grow and become those citizens that we’re so excited to see out there,” Clark said.
Norte’s CEO Jill Wilson was also at the open house. Wilson said that Norte will also play a part in the community aspect of the trail extension infrastructure.
“Norte is poised, through a Safe Routes to School grant, to come in and provide the education at the end and that empowerment and make sure that the space is activated.”
The education aims to teach the local youth about the trail and how to ride a bike through it. Wilson said that being connected with the world is an “absolute privilege” and that biking is a great way to get connected.
“Most of us have core memories of being outside, seeing a cardinal, a great blue heron, an eagle, hearing the spring peepers,” she said.
Before the trail starts all of its expansion, it will still need to assess how much funding it needs and will receive. A public crowdfunding effort is to happen in a couple of weeks, according to Clark.
