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TART Ribbon Cutting - Three Mile/Parsons Road
October 2006
TART Trails and the
Grand Traverse County Road Commission
A Long-Term, Mutual Relationship
1987
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) committed to fund a non-motorized trail from Bunker Hill Road to Three Mile Road within the railroad right-of-way. The Grand Traverse County Road Commission accepted the proposed extension of the trail through to Traverse City as part of $25 million road plan proposal. Although the millage election was unsuccessful, the partnering with TART was successful in obtaining a $150,000 Rotary Charities grant that built the first phase of the path from Hastings Street to Three Mile Road in 1990. The City of Traverse City and Grand Traverse County built the bay-front portion of the trail to connect M-72 West to the trail at Hastings Street.
1993
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) established the enhancement grant program. These grants provided financial assistance to those citizens using "non-motorized" paths for recreational and occupational purposes. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) built the trail between Three Mile Road and Bunker Hill Road at a cost of $730,000 in 1995. In 1997 MDOT, TART and the GTCRC received an Environmental Excellence Award from the Federal Highway Administration for this facility.
1997
TART and the Board of County Road Commissioners worked together to prepare an enhancement grant application that would connect Bunker Hill Road and M-72. Features of all these path projects incorporated the visions of the newly adopted, "Guidebook," for Grand Traverse County.
Other cooperative effort includes the path along US-31, between 14th Street in the City of Traverse City, terminating at South Airport Road near the Grand Traverse Mall in the Charter Township of Garfield with the financial assistance of the Charter Township of Garfield, City of Traverse City and the County Board of Commissioners.
Grand Traverse County Road Commission’s staff negotiated with MDOT to allow the $628,000 grant funds from a 1997 application to be used for three important connectors on the trail. The funds were utilized to construct the project’s three connectors.
2004
TART’s Executive Director and Road Commission’s County Highway Engineer worked together to gain the needed easements, not only for Phase C (Connector with the Leelanau Trail), but on Phase A (Acme) and Phase B (Bunker Hill) sections.
The City of Traverse City prepared easement documents and other legal aspects of this project. Leelanau County Road Commission agreed to have its portion of the trail work completed by the Grand Traverse County Road Commission to make the work seamless.
The completion of the third phase of "TART 4" marked the end of one of the many cooperative efforts between TART and the Road Commission. This project was birthed in 1997 when TART and the Road Commission Board worked togehter to prepare an enhancement grant application that would connect Bunker Hill Road and M-72. At that time, a new "Guidebook" for Grand Traverse County had just been approved. This project was funded by negotiations with MDOT staff to redirect $628,000 from a 1997 application for the three phases.
2006
The Road Commission and TART again collaborated as part of the Three Mile Road Widening Project, to add the "Three Mile Road Trail" as a connector between US-31 and South Airport Road.
2007
Federal funds were made available to the State of Michigan and through the Governor's "Jobs Today" Program for widening South Airport Road, between Garfield Road and Townline Road. As part of that project, shoulders on both the north and south sides of the road were paved 8' wide to accomodate non-motorized traffic.