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Border-to-Border Trail
The Border-to-Border (B2B) Trail is a partially constructed non-motorized trail system in Washtenaw County, Michigan. The system is planned to cover approximately 55 miles (89 km) across Washtenaw County, along the Huron River.
Planning for the B2B began in 1984, as the Huron River Greenway, a 35-mile (56 km) project headed by Washtenaw County. Since its inception, and its renaming to the Border-to-Border trail in the 1990s, the project has expanded its scope and incorporated additional funding from public and private sources. When completed, the Border-to-Border Trail system will link Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Dexter, and Chelsea with off-street, non-motorized pathways for walking, bicycling, and other recreational activities.
The Border-to-Border Trail connects to multiple existing parks, and incorporates their trail systems. In addition to its route through parks, the B2B also includes segments built adjacent to rural roads, new and historic bridges, and segments on city streets.
Planning for a non-motorized trail along the Huron River began in the 1980s, with a City of Ann Arbor study for a "Huron River Greenway." The Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission took over the project in the late 1990s, and by 2001, the Border-to-Border Trail was envisioned as a 35-mile (56 km) trail from Hudson Mills Metropark to Ford Lake.
From its inception, the B2B was planned to utilize existing parks and rights-of-way adjacent to the Huron River. In addition to the existing infrastructure, Washtenaw County secured $10 million of funding to construct connections between existing pieces of infrastructure. With the cost of trail construction for even the initial plans far exceeding that sum, construction proceeded slowly, with the first new trail segment opening in 2001 in Ypsilanti.
The scope and pace of the Border-to-Border Trail project increased in the mid-2010s, with the passage of a county roads millage that included dedicated funding for nonmotorized transportation projects. The state of Michigan recognized the B2B project as a component of the statewide Iron Belle Trail in 2015, bringing additional visibility to the project.
The mid-2010s also brought additional private funding to the trail, with expansion plans for a segment from Dexter west to Chelsea. The Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative, a private foundation that began in Chelsea, raised money from businesses in Chelsea before partnering with the county to accelerate trail construction.
In 2016, champion triathlete Karen McKeachie died in a collision on Dexter-Chelsea Road during a training bicycle ride. McKeachie's death led to renewed advocacy for additional bicycle safety measures in the county, and a portion of the newly-constructed B2B trail near Dexter is named in McKeachie's memory.
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Border-to-Border Trail
The Border-to-Border (B2B) Trail is a partially constructed non-motorized trail system in Washtenaw County, Michigan. The system is planned to cover approximately 55 miles (89 km) across Washtenaw County, along the Huron River.
Planning for the B2B began in 1984, as the Huron River Greenway, a 35-mile (56 km) project headed by Washtenaw County. Since its inception, and its renaming to the Border-to-Border trail in the 1990s, the project has expanded its scope and incorporated additional funding from public and private sources. When completed, the Border-to-Border Trail system will link Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Dexter, and Chelsea with off-street, non-motorized pathways for walking, bicycling, and other recreational activities.
The Border-to-Border Trail connects to multiple existing parks, and incorporates their trail systems. In addition to its route through parks, the B2B also includes segments built adjacent to rural roads, new and historic bridges, and segments on city streets.
Planning for a non-motorized trail along the Huron River began in the 1980s, with a City of Ann Arbor study for a "Huron River Greenway." The Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission took over the project in the late 1990s, and by 2001, the Border-to-Border Trail was envisioned as a 35-mile (56 km) trail from Hudson Mills Metropark to Ford Lake.
From its inception, the B2B was planned to utilize existing parks and rights-of-way adjacent to the Huron River. In addition to the existing infrastructure, Washtenaw County secured $10 million of funding to construct connections between existing pieces of infrastructure. With the cost of trail construction for even the initial plans far exceeding that sum, construction proceeded slowly, with the first new trail segment opening in 2001 in Ypsilanti.
The scope and pace of the Border-to-Border Trail project increased in the mid-2010s, with the passage of a county roads millage that included dedicated funding for nonmotorized transportation projects. The state of Michigan recognized the B2B project as a component of the statewide Iron Belle Trail in 2015, bringing additional visibility to the project.
The mid-2010s also brought additional private funding to the trail, with expansion plans for a segment from Dexter west to Chelsea. The Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative, a private foundation that began in Chelsea, raised money from businesses in Chelsea before partnering with the county to accelerate trail construction.
In 2016, champion triathlete Karen McKeachie died in a collision on Dexter-Chelsea Road during a training bicycle ride. McKeachie's death led to renewed advocacy for additional bicycle safety measures in the county, and a portion of the newly-constructed B2B trail near Dexter is named in McKeachie's memory.