Title
Resolution to Approve an Agreement between the City of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County Regarding Responsibilities and Cost Allocation for Design and Engineering Services for the Bandemer-Barton Trail Connection Project
Memorandum
Attached for your review and action is a resolution to approve an agreement between the City of Ann Arbor and the Washtenaw County by its Park and Recreation Commission to collaborate on the design phase of the Bandemer-Barton trail and tunnel connection project.
The proposed pedestrian tunnel would extend beneath the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) railroad tracks between Barton Nature Area and Bandemer Park and would provide a highly desired non-motorized connection that has been identified as a capital need for decades.
This tunnel is a critical gap on the Border-to-Border Trail (B2B), as well as the statewide Iron Belle trail, and is one of the final hurdles to overcome connecting the City with the parks and along the Huron River. It will also improve non-motorized traffic around the North Main Street & M-14 corridor by providing a safe pedestrian and bicycle gateway to the City.
Currently, there is no safe connection for pedestrians and bicyclists between the B2B trail in Bandemer Park and Barton Nature Area, and many pedestrians and bicyclists choose to illegally cross the railroad tracks at this location showing that it is a highly desired route.
This connection has been desired for more than two decades, but due to insufficient funding and the difficulty of obtaining approvals from the railroad, progress on the tunnel has been delayed.
Since the 2005 study, the railroad has changed from private ownership to being publicly owned by MDOT. Additionally, funding opportunities have become available through our partners at the County and private partners
In 2018, a Letter of Intent was signed between the City, County, and Huron Waterloo Pathway Initiative to collaborate on an update to the Bandemer-Barto...
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