Phase one of Manchester Township’s non-motorized pathway completed!

The first phase of Manchester Township’s non-motorized pathway connecting the City of Manchester to Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve has been completed!

by Sara Swanson

Phase one of the Township’s connecting pathway running west of the City is completed and with it, Manchester is one step closer to a trail connecting the City to Watkins State Park and County Preserve!

Work began in September replacing a section of old sidewalk west of Carr Park and creating a concrete pathway where nothing existed before, in practice extending the sidewalk along Austin Road out to Grossman Road. A Washtenaw County–owned trail already runs from Watkins Park toward the City along a disused rail bed currently ending at Austin Road near the Teijin factory. Phase two of the Township’s pathway will run between Grossman Road and the County’s trail, connecting the two completed segments. Township supervisor Ron Milkey reported in September that preliminary engineering has been completed and the Township is currently working on securing funding for phase two.

For now, we can enjoy what has been completed!

The path runs alongside Austin Road and next to a scenic wetland.

For most of the path there is a buffer of space between the path and Austin Road, though when crossing a culvert, it does very briefly hug Austin Road, presumably out of necessity.

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

by Sara Swanson

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