Trees Along Huron River Drive

By February 19, 2019Project Updates

The Washtenaw Parks and Recreation Commission has been receiving some questions about the extent of tree removal for this project. Below is the statement issued by the Parks Commission on February 15, 2018 regarding these questions.

“The Parks Commission would like to clarify the purpose of the work along Huron River Drive west of Zeeb Road. The project is part of a 1.2 mile Border-to-Border Trail (B2B) extension in partnership with the Washtenaw County Road Commission, Huron-Clinton Metroparks, MDOT, Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative, and the DNR. The current project will mostly be constructed of a 10-foot wide asphalt trail but also includes two, 200-foot span pedestrian bridges over the river, and six segments of boardwalk. It will be connected to several similar trail segments completed in Hudson Mills and Dexter-Huron Metroparks since the mid-2000s.

Commission staff, their consultants, and partner organizations have gone through comprehensive analyses to determine a trail route that minimizes tree removal and environmental impacts. Trees were analyzed in terms of genus, species and condition. Tree removal was kept to the minimum necessary to accommodate the footprint of the trail. Several public input meetings have been held on this project since 2015. On January 9, 2019 at the Dexter Library, a public meeting was held to provide notice of construction.

Tree removal will be complete by March 31, 2019 per US Fish & Wildlife Service guidance, with the remainder of the project being completed by the fall. Restoration work, including tree replacement where possible, will occur in the later stages of the project. Thank you for your patience during the construction process.

For questions, please contact: Peter Sanderson, Park Planner, WCPARC at sandersonp@washtenaw.org”