Do you live, work, or play in the Little Traverse Bay area and love biking, running, and walking? Do you value a safe place to get outdoors with young, old, and four-legged family members? Do you value recreation and transportation amenities and the benefits they bring to the community? Do you use the Little Traverse Wheelway and wonder when the washout will be repaired?
If so, Top of Michigan Trails has GREAT NEWS for you! TOMTC and the City of Petoskey are working closely to move forward on restoring the Little Traverse Wheelway. In Fall 2022 we will be assessing existing information (MDOT data, engineering studies, etc) and, if necessary, completing additional field work. In parallel we are engaging state agencies to scope issues including permitting, design options, and availability of funding. All of this work represents continued due diligence to assess options, estimate costs, and arrive at a “shovel ready” concept for rebuilding the Little Traverse Wheelway.
How you can get involved:
1) Join our CREW!
If you’ve ever wondered “what can I do to help get the Wheelway fixed?” then this is your way to get engaged. We’ll keep you in the loop and reach out with specific action items. We can also help you organize local support groups with your friends and neighbors (Bay Shore for the Wheelway!), give talks to community organizations, or support any other ideas you have to build momentum for rebuilding the Wheelway.
2) Give to our trail fund.
From the summary above, you realize that repairing the Wheelway is going to take significant money and time, and these dollars will be needed for up front costs such as engineering, permitting, etc. “Soft costs” like these are almost impossible to fund with public dollars, so private donations are a great way to get trail projects “shovel ready” for state and federal dollars that are geared toward construction. Then when it comes time to apply for that public money your donations can be used as local matching funds, which are required for many funding applications.
3) Get informed.
We will share a detailed overview of what’s happened so far and the current state of the Little Traverse Wheelway. Top of Michigan Trails Council and the City of Petoskey will provide regular updates and information about the history, the washout, and the next steps.
Thank you for supporting TOMTC! We exist to advocate, maintain, and promote trails in northern Michigan, and complicated projects like the Wheelway repair require significant investment of our time and resources. Your support of TOMTC keeps us on the job.
More information:
- November 15th Community Conversation Recap & link to watch
- What has TOMTC been working on since the washout closed the Miracle Mile?
- What about an “alternate route” on US 31?
- What is the value of the Little Traverse Wheelway to our community?