Work to connect Watkins Lake Trail to city set to begin!

Current east end of the Watkins Lake Trail. Work is beginning this week in Manchester Township to connect the City of Manchester to the Trail. Photo courtesy of Fritz Swanson.

submitted by Ron Milkey, Manchester Township Supervisor

The wait is finally over! Phase 1 of the non-motorized pathway through Manchester Township to connect the City of Manchester to Watkins Lake State Park is scheduled to start Tuesday, September 3, 2024. Phase 1 of the pathway will extend from the west side of Carr Park and continue across Grossman Road. It will run along the south side of Austin Road.

The project began in 2017 with a feasibility study and continued with preliminary engineering, final engineering, and now construction. The non-motorized pathway will be concrete and will vary in width from 5’ to 8’ wide, as conditions allow. Fonson, Inc. from Brighton was the successful bidder on the project. They plan to have the project substantially complete in early October.

Phase 2 of the pathway, which will run from Grossman Road to the start of the Washtenaw County Trail on Austin Road, just west of Teijin, is moving through the planning stages. Preliminary engineering has been completed and Manchester Township has submitted a Connecting Communities Grant application to help fund final engineering and construction. Manchester Township is hopeful that additional funding sources can be identified and secured so that phase 2 can be completed in 2025.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.