Comments on: RiverUp! Focuses on Revitalizing Huron River

By: Mary Morgan

Mary Morgan — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:58:28 +0000

Re. “Does anyone know if the alternative plan Tim Berla is advocating requires a new pedestrian bridge over Huron?”

Tim forwarded me a statement from the Washtenaw Bicycling and Walking Coalition, with a map showing the connections he mentioned. [.pdf of WBWC statement and map]

Some additional comments from Tim’s email to me:

These trail enhancements are apparently all in the non-motorized transportation plan, and everything but the bridge is also in the current PROS plan (and I believe the bridge was accidentally left out of the current PROS plan, and in the previous one).

There are a couple of additional trail improvements that might be incorporated to improve the biking experience. There is the possibility of also having a connection from one side of Fuller to the other via an underpass on the west side of the Huron River where Fuller crosses the river just to the east of Fuller park, which would also give bicyclist more options for avoiding crossing Fuller. Also, one big concern is building a way that the path on the south side of Fuller not cross all the vehicle entrances and exits to the FRS, which should have thousands of vehicles entering and exiting each day. This could be done, for example, by a ramp that took the path up to the first level of the station, above the ground level entrances and exits.

Gwen Nystuen and I are working on a resolution advocating for the completion of these items as part of building the station, and I expect that we will present it at the PAC meeting next week.

The park advisory commission (PAC) meeting is on Tuesday, Aug. 16 starting at 4 p.m. in the second-floor city council chambers of city hall, 301 E. Huron. The Chronicle will be there to cover it.

By: Eric Boyd

Eric Boyd — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:19:26 +0000

@4: Thanks! That’s great news. If the state funds the bridge under 12, if the county paves the Water Street Trail, and if River-Up cleans up Waterworks Park, extends the B2B trail through the Angstrom property, and funds an engineering study to determine how to cross 94, that would go a long way towards making the B2B path complete through Ypsilanti.

By: Elizabeth Riggs

Elizabeth Riggs — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:07:05 +0000

The conservation easement on the Angstrom property is for the west side of the river between Spring St and I-94.

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 22:36:27 +0000

The article states: “Another plan has been floated to make a trail that looped under the bridges in that area, Berla said, so that cyclists and pedestrians could avoid the traffic at the intersection of Fuller Road, Maiden Lane and East Medical Center Drive. But that plan hasn’t been incorporated into the project, he said.”

I really like this idea and I hope its made the plan whether or not they build the Fuller Transit Station. Crossing the intersection is a pain in the neck due to the slow lights and it’s the only thing along the whole route from Bandermer to Parker Mill that really reminds you that you are in the middle of a city.

Does anyone know if the alternative plan Tim Berla is advocating requires a new pedestrian bridge over the Huron? Or does it simply use the west side of the Maiden Lane bridge and then loop west under the Fuller Road Bridge and the East Medical Center Drive bridges before going back out to Fuller?

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:17:50 +0000

The article states: “… with stops at the Superior Dam portage and the Angstrom property (the former Ford/Visteon plant in Ypsilanti). Owners of that property are granting a 100-foot easement along the river to connect to the Border-to-Border Trail, Riggs said.”

Did she specify whether it is the east bank or the west bank?

By: Elizabeth Riggs

Elizabeth Riggs — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:08:03 +0000

Thank you for the article.
Another key funder for RiverUp! is the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.