Feds honor Metro Detroit’s 100-mile network of greenways
Greenways are starting to pay off for Metro Detroit in more ways than one. The Federal Highway Administration has recognized the region’s 100-mile network of trails and greenways with an award for exceptional environmental stewardship.
It’s not always a bad thing when the feds are paying attention to you. Such is the case when the Federal Highway Administration recognized the Michigan Department of Transportation with an award for “exceptional environmental stewardship” of its 100-mile network of trails and greenways in southeast
The award largely recognizes the efforts of the Southeastern Michigan GreenWays Initiative. The public and private partnership has helped organize efforts to finance and develop a 100-mile network of greenways across Metro Detroit since 2001. The regional effort involves more than 75 municipalities in
Greenways provide recreation, transportation, conservation, tourism and economic benefits by creating non-motorized trails in developed areas that nurture and preserve green space. The GreenWays Initiative has worked to expand and enhance local greenways, helping leverage more than $82 million in investments in greenways from public and private sources. Although great progress has been made in recent years, Metro Detroit’s greenways system is still behind leaders like Indianapolis, leaving plenty of work for southeast
Writer: Jon Zemke