The 'Why'
The connectivity and accessibility of our region's parks, trails, and water amenities for both residents and visitors play a crucial role in making the Greater Lansing area a competitive place to live, work, and play.
While we have an impressive urban nonmotorized network, trails from outside our region abruptly stop as soon as they cross our borders, leaving a massive gap in mobility and connectivity and missed opportunities for health, tourism, and recreational activation.
So, how do trails help our communities and residents? Trails are more than a recreational asset — they bring economic prosperity and other benefits to our communities and to those who walk and bike in our region.
Benefits of Trails
The 'How'
Tri-County is developing a vision, plan, and path forward for a regional trails system — one that works to improve the quality of life for our region's residents and take advantage of our region's central geographic location to bolster Mid-Michigan as a hub for local businesses, communities, and visitors. Explore the phases of our trails initiative below!
WE ARE HERE!
PHASE 2: PLANNING FOR FUTURE FEASIBILITY
The region needed a plan that looked at the feasibility of connecting our existing trail assets to the larger community and state to help fill the nonmotorized transportation gaps in our region, as illustrated in the below map.
Tri-County initiated a trails feasibility connectivity study in 2021 to establish a conceptual blueprint for a prioritized, "tiered" regional trails system of over 75 miles of trails that form connections to the region’s core cycling, pedestrian, and recreational facilities. The Regional Trails Feasibility Plan was completed and adopted in July 2023.
The plan explores the feasibility of developing three new trail routes between the existing Lansing River Trail network and major interregional trails that enter into the tri-county region, including the Clinton Ionia Shiawassee (CIS) Trail in northern Clinton County, the Paul Henry Trail in southwest Eaton County, and the Lakelands State Park Trail in southern Ingham County. Numerous potential routes were studied from a bird's-eye perspective to assess how best to connect our urban center and rural communities, and along the way, to regional assets like local parks and recreation amenities, employment centers, municipal assets, and other community spaces and destinations.
PROJECT TIMELINE
HOW WE INVOLVED THE PUBLIC & STAKEHOLDERS
Trails connect our communities, provide a means to experience the outdoors, improve our health, enhance our economies, and so much more. We wanted to know what's most important to the public!
Throughout the project, we engaged hundreds of stakeholders and members of the public to gather input. Navigate the slides below to learn more.
ADOPTION OF THE TRAILS PLAN
JULY 2023
Following public meetings throughout May 2023 and a comment period in July to gather insight into the community's trail needs and priorities, the project team incorporated feedback into the draft Regional Trails Feasibility Plan.
The plan was presented to Tri-County’s Board of Commissioners and adopted on July 26, 2023.
HISTORY
Since the initiation of visioning work in late 2019, Tri-County's long-range 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, Moving Mid-Michigan, was adopted by the Board of Commissioners in December 2020. This plan identified "regional trails planning" as one of six key implementation priorities for the agency. Tri-County revived the project — this time with support from consulting firm OHM Advisors — after pausing due to the coronavirus pandemic in mid-2021.
GOALS
At its heart, this plan aims to improve the quality of life for our region's residents and take advantage of our central geographic location to bolster Mid-Michigan as a hub for local businesses, communities, and visitors. In addition to identifying trails that will enhance our region’s economy, transportation options, and attractiveness and expand the connectivity and accessibility to communities inside and outside the region, this plan was designed to make our region more competitive for future funding opportunities and better position local governments and nonprofits in their planning efforts.
Since its completion in July 2023, it has set a path forward to prepare the region to secure future funding opportunities, enhance and expand our connectivity to communities both inside and outside the region, and identify strategies and partnerships to make the vision a reality.
The project’s goals are to:
MEET THE TECHNICAL TEAM
.png)
PHASE 4: SECURING FUNDING & CONSTRUCTING
As part of a Tri-County's $2.5 million TAP pilot project, trail route segments will be identified and prepared for grant application submission to acquire funding for construction.
Updates regarding this work will be shared as they are available.
PHASE 3: ANALYZING & REFINING ROUTES
In late 2023, Tri-County initiated a $2.5 million pilot project to begin implementation of the Regional Trails Feasibility Plan by further analyzing and conducting Early Preliminary Engineering (EPE) to refine identified routes.
Ultimately, the project aims to generate MDOT Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) funding to connect three state-wide multi-use trails (Mike Levine Lakelands Trail – Ingham County, Fred Meijer Clinton Ionia Shiawassee Trail – Clinton County, and the Paul Henry Thornapple Trail – Eaton County) to the Lansing River Trail. This project will focus on filling these crucial corridor gaps and creating connections through the Tri-County region to the rest of the state.
PROJECT TIMELINE
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!
Thank you to everyone who took part in our open houses and surveys across the region! Your input was essential in building community consensus and shaping this plan. All the feedback we received was valuable in finalizing the trail routes. Below, you can see summaries of the trail-specific feedback and overall community input.
MORE DETAILS
Following completion of the Regional Trails Feasibility Plan in 2023, Tri-County was awarded $2 million by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) through their Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) to complete a pilot project to support the development of regional trails. TAP is a competitive grant program that uses federal transportation funds designated by Congress for projects that enhance the intermodal transportation system and provide alternative transportation options. Tri-County will provide a match of $500,000.
Completion of the pilot project is anticipated for the end of 2026. Several outcomes of this project will segue and overlap into Phase 4 of our regional trails planning initiative. Deliverables of the pilot project include:
-
Early Preliminary Engineering (EPE) and segmentation of identified routes in the Feasibility Plan
-
Documentation necessary to apply for TAP funding for each segment
-
Playbook to guide communities on ways to develop trail projects suitable for TAP funding
Tri-County has contracted with PEA Group with support from OHM Advisors to complete the project.
PHASE 1: CREATING A VISION FOR THE PLAN
At the foundation of any plan is a vision - one that betters our region and residents and guides plan development.
In late 2019, Tri-County was awarded a technical assistance grant from the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) through their Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program. Tri-County subsequently held two workshops in partnership with NPS in early 2020 to create a vision for a trails plan and brainstorm network connections with stakeholders. Work groups of public, private, and nonprofit and advocacy organizations representing transportation, recreational, nonmotorized, and environmental interests collaborated to identify the community's key priorities for a future regional trails system and map out potential routes and amenity connections.
Further efforts were halted at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic shortly following these workshops, until Tri-County revived the project in mid-2021 (Phase 2).
ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS
REGIONAL TRAILS VISIONING WORKSHOP
JANUARY 2020
Over 40 community organizations, transportation and trail advocates, and local parks departments came together at MSU's Henry Center for Executive Development to develop a project vision and explore preliminary ideas and connections for a regional trails system.
Our Vision
Create an interconnected, accessible, and cohesive trails network that safely connects communities and points of interest throughout the region, capitalizes on existing assets and infrastructure, and encourages strategic investment to enhance vibrant communities.
.png)
Frequently Asked Questions
Resources & Existing Plans
Federal & State Resources
CONTACT INFORMATION
3135 Pine Tree Rd. | Suite 2C | Lansing, MI 48911 | Directions
P: (517) 393-0342 | F: (517) 393-4424 | Email Us
Visit our staff page for questions about specific programs.
CONNECT WITH US
THINKING AHEAD. MOVING FORWARD.
© 2018 by the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer | Accessibility | FOIA | Sitemap