Now that the funding has been secured for the four-mile Michigan portion of the Marquette Greenway, the trail project will soon be sent out for bids and construction can begin next year. Southwest Michigan Planning Commission senior planner Marcy Hamilton tells us the trail from Chicago to New Buffalo has been in the works for 17 years. Supporters raised $5.6 million for the Michigan stretch, and an event in New Buffalo last month resulted in contributions of more than $220,000, pushing the Marquette Greenway past its goal. Making up part of that 220,000 was a surprise matching grant.
“That really, I think, made everybody want to contribute because they knew that their money would basically be doubled,” Hamilton said. “So, that’s always a nice incentive to be able to have for folks, and it worked.”
Hamilton says the project also secured state grants. Phase 1 starts next year from New Buffalo to Grand Beach.
“We’re going to be building a trail head at Mechanic and Smith Street, and then the trail will go along Buffalo Street and US-12 down Grand Beach Road. That’s Phase 1. We hope to start Phase 2 in 2024.”
That’ll be from Grand Beach to the Indiana state line. Hamilton says the Marquette Greenway will be a ten-foot wide paved trail that could be used by people on foot or on bike. The Illinois portion of the trail is already finished, while the Indiana portion has the funding secured. The entire project should be complete in 2027.
