By Krystal Moralee

Building a trail that stretches more than 50 miles through St. Clair County takes patience, perseverance, and millions of dollars. It also requires upkeep.

As efforts continue to close the remaining gaps in the Bridge to Bay Trail, some of the earliest portions are approaching 20 years old, making maintenance an increasingly important part of the larger vision.

“Our focus is not only on completing the trail connections but also on ensuring that the existing trail segments are well maintained and continue to support recreation safely,” said Sheri Faust, Chair of the Regional Trails Board and Executive Director of the Friends of the St. Clair River.

That need recently resulted in grants for maintenance projects in five St. Clair County communities: Port Huron, Cottrellville Township, St. Clair Township, Marine City, and East China Township.

The funding comes through the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Trails Maintenance Fund at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, which supports repair, renovation, and maintenance of existing trail infrastructure.

The grant is also a great example of the growing collaboration between the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and the Community Foundation of St. Clair County as both organizations work to advance the legacy of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. Together, the partnership helps connect regional funding opportunities with local community priorities.

In this case, the Community Foundation of St. Clair County brought four communities together under a single application, served as the grant fiduciary, and helped secure critical maintenance funding for multiple Bridge to Bay Trail segments.

“Having our trail maintenance project included in a larger regional application strengthened our request and helped avoid competition among neighboring communities for limited funding,” said Greg Abbey, Cottrellville Township Supervisor.

The four projects represent approximately $139,800 in work, with $127,800 requested through the grant.

At the Blue Water River Walk in Port Huron, an estimated $42,800 project will replace aging trail signage, repaint or powder coat existing benches, and repair decking and railing lighting at the north ferry dock.

Cottrellville Township is planning approximately $57,000 in repairs and resurfacing to 2,604 feet of cracked and damaged trail identified through St. Clair County’s Pavement Evaluation for Trails report.

In St. Clair Township, an estimated $8,000 project will replace a faulty drainage system and repair a damaged 40-foot section of asphalt trail.

Marine City will undertake approximately $30,000 in repairs and resurfacing to damaged asphalt trail sections, also identified through the county’s trail pavement evaluation.

Those projects are expected to be completed within the next year.

East China Township’s needs were on a larger scale. That project involves complete removal and replacement of approximately 3.25 miles of eight-foot-wide asphalt trail along M-29 from Recor Road to Bree Road. The trail has been patched and repaired numerous times and is now in very poor condition.

The estimated project cost is $670,000, with $200,000 requested through the trail maintenance grant program. Rather than include such a large project in the joint application, the Community Foundation connected East China Township directly with the opportunity and encouraged the township to apply independently. Both applications were awarded funding.

“East China Township has always taken great pride in its trail system and the natural beauty that surrounds it,” said Verne Westrick, former East China Township Supervisor. “Reconstructing this major section of trail, along with the planned crosswalk at Riverside Ave and Bree Road, will mark the final step in completing our community-wide trail network and connecting it to the City of St. Clair’s trail system.

These projects are the latest chapter in a trail whose history stretches back more than three decades.

Unlike a rail trail that may follow a relatively straight corridor for miles, Bridge to Bay is an urban coastal trail, winding through downtowns, neighborhoods, and multiple jurisdictions. Thirteen municipalities own and maintain the portions within their boundaries. That shared responsibility creates both opportunities and challenges, making coordination and long-term investment essential to the trail’s success.

Those efforts received a significant boost in 2019, when the Community Foundation secured more than $1 million from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and a Regional Trails Board was assembled to work with municipal partners on closing the remaining gaps.

At the time, completing approximately 25 remaining miles was estimated to cost $12 million over 10 years. Faust said both the anticipated cost and timeline have since grown as planners have confronted the complexity of the remaining connections.

“Even though they might be small segments left to build, they are mighty and costly,” she said.

The ultimate vision extends from Lakeport State Park south through the county’s coastal communities to Algonac State Park and beyond, eventually reaching the Macomb County border. Along much of the route, the waterside towns are separated by only a handful of miles, making the trail a valuable connector.

“If you ride the Bridge to Bay Trail along the coastal shoreline, you’re never really more than six miles between downtowns,” Faust said. “It’s a very easy ride to do with your family to go restaurant hopping or beach hopping or ice cream shop hopping. What sets the Bridge to Bay Trail apart is the coastal views, the freighter watching, and the urban feel.”

Ready to learn more? Contact Randy Maiers or Natacha Hayden to discover how you, your family, or business can partner with the Community Foundation and support the Bridge to Bay Trail. Together, we can strengthen our communities and the recreational opportunities for our local families.