By Lisa Carolin
A Border-to-Border(B2B) Trail meeting about a pending trail segment in Lima Township was held by Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation representatives on Jan. 27 via Zoom to share information with residents.
The meeting began with a presentation about the history of the B2B trail followed by an explanation of the plan for the next trail segment, which will begin at Dancer Road and Dexter-Chelsea Road, and end at the intersection of Wylie Road and Dexter-Chelsea Road, a total of 1.5 miles.
That trail segment will be constructed on the north side of Dexter-Chelsea Road, starting on an 80-acre parcel called the Beach Farm that became available last year. The trail will go through the farm and then through a wooded area close to Dexter-Chelsea Road, then by Beacon Hill Drive to Wylie Road where the segment will end.
Roy Townsend, Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation projects manager, said that the alignment has not yet been finalized, but the trail will be a 10-foot paved path with two-foot shoulders on either side.
The plan is for tree and brush removal to take place between mid-February and March 30 before protected species of bats return. Construction should begin in June or July and be completed by September or October of this year.
Townsend said he’s been meeting with property owners in the area, and invited anyone interested in meeting to contact him at 734-845-1903 or email him at [email protected].
As far as other B2B Trail segments in Lima Township, a segment that would connect the pending trail segment ending at Wylie Road to Parker Road will be the next proposed segment followed by a segment from Parker Road into the City of Dexter. The final trail segment in Lima Township would be between Lima Center Road and Dancer Road. Those trail segments are all subject to funding among other things.
The 2.1 mile section from Freer Road to Lima Center Road was finished in 2019.
Following Townsend’s presentation, people were invited to ask questions, which included questions about preserving trees on individual properties; plans for closing roads during construction of the trail; and about the right-of-way where the trail goes over driveways (It is the bicyclists’ responsibility to yield to people coming out of driveways – homeowners are held harmless by state law.)
For more information on the B2B Trail, go to https://www.washtenaw.org//b2b.
