| Frederik Meijer Trail | |
|---|---|
| Looking east at the trail and freeway near Kentwood | |
| Length | 9 miles (14.5 km) |
| Location | Kent County, Michigan |
| Trailheads | Wyoming, Michigan Kentwood, Michigan |
| Use | Hiking, biking |
The Frederik Meijer Trail, formerly called the M-6 Trail, is a hiking/biking trail in Kent County, Michigan. It connects the Paul Henry Rail Trail with the Kent Trails in Byron Township, Michigan.
The trail starts at a junction with the Kent Trails west of Byron Center Avenue in Wyoming. The trail runs along the north side of the M-6 freeway to Clyde Park Avenue. The trail follows Clyde Park south to 68th Street where it terminates. Bikers can continue along 68th Street over the US Highway 131 (US 131) freeway to Division Street and north along Division to the trail on the south side of M-6. The trail continues east to Eastern Avenue where it crosses back over to the north side of the freeway. The eastern end is at Wing Avenue and 60th Street in Kentwood.[1]
The M-6 Trail was constructed in a $3.5 million project that started in 2008. The goal was to create a 10-foot (3.0 m) wide path linking the Kent Trails with the Paul Henry Rail Trail. The M-6 Trail was the brainchild of Gaines Township Supervisor Don Hilton, Sr. He had pushed to have the path included in the original freeway construction and opened with the rest of the South Beltline. The trail project was funded by $2.9 million dollars in federal grants and $300,000 from the Frederik and Lena Meijer Foundation. The balance came from Kent County and the townships.[2]
Work on the first phase was completed in June 2008. This segment connected the Kent Trail with 68th Street in Byron Township.[3] Work on the second phase of the trail between Division Avenue and 60th Street was completed in November 2008.[4] The remaining segment of the trail is a third phase for a dedicated trail along 68th Street and Clay Avenue to bridge the gap between Clyde Park and Division avenues remains incomplete. This 1.5-mile (2.4 km) segment was projected to cost between $750,000 and $1.5 million in 2008. One challenge to the segment is crossing an active Norfolk Southern rail line near US 131 and M-6.[3]