About 80 people recently turned out to celebrate the groundbreaking for construction of what will be the next 5 miles of Kalamazoo River Valley Trail, the popular trailway that was used 180,000 times last year.
This five-mile addition will be constructed from River Street in Comstock to 35th St. in Galesburg, ending along the Kalamazoo River near Battle Creek Street. The paved-asphalt trail will follow along M-96 from River Street and cut through River Oaks County Park.
Kalamazoo County Parks Director Dave Rachowicz says the extension will connect the trail to River Oaks County Park where a splash pad and new playground are going in this summer.
The new portion of the trail will connect different parts of the community and offer expanded options for recreation, transportation, health, and fitness.
Construction begins this month, in June 2104, and be completed in late September. The cost of the new piece of trail is $1.447 million.
There now are 17 completed miles of paved-asphalt trail
for non-motorized use. There will be 22 miles open for public use by this fall.
The Kalamazoo River Valley Trail begins at 10th Street, connecting the Kal-Haven Trail into downtown Kalamazoo. From downtown, the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail also stretches north, passing though Verburg Park, along Markin Glen Park and the Kalamazoo Nature Center, before ending at D Avenue near the Kalamazoo River. The eastern leg of the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail passes through Mayors’ Riverfront Park and connects to Comstock Township.
Source: Kyle Lewis, Kalamazoo River Valley Trail
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