By Lisa Carolin, photos by Burrill Strong
There’s a new 2.1 mile segment of the Border-to-Border Trail and it officially opened on Tuesday, Aug. 27 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. It is the first stretch of the Dexter-Chelsea connector.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for non-motorized transportation and a safe and beautiful route,” said Chelsea Mayor Melissa Johnson.
The new segment runs from Freer Road to Lima Center Road and includes fields, an iron bridge over Mill Creek, and a connection to the Chelsea Ridge neighborhood.
It’s a paved, 10-foot wide trail, is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant, and is a non-motorized pathway.
Both the Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative and the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission were represented at the opening, which took place at the Oak Grove East Cemetery by Freer Road.
“This has been a busy year for us,” said Coy Vaughn, Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission director. “Every few weeks a ribbon cutting or a groundbreaking has taken place. This was the first idea for the trail to connect Chelsea to Dexter. The middle section will be the most complicated, and we hope to complete it in a few years.”
Jeff Hardcastle, the board chair of the HWPI, also spoke and thanked Lima Township, the City of Chelsea, the Washtenaw County Road Commission, and all the neighbors who live along the trail.
“The voters of Washtenaw County have been very supportive of the Parks and Recreation Commission,” he said.
Progress continues on other stretches of the B2B around Washtenaw County including in the M-52 corridor with the start of construction from Green Lake to North Territorial Road, a tunnel under M-52 and a B2B trailhead, and bridge work and boardwalk construction along the Huron River from Dexter-Huron Park.
When completed, the B2B Trail will be 70 miles long and connect cities and parks throughout Washtenaw County.
