KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Indian Mounds Drive could close to cars as part of a pilot program.
Last month, the Kent County Parks Department revealed a plan to make the trail "safer, better maintained and more welcoming," according to a release.
Indian Mounds Drive is a stretch of road shared that runs parallel to the Grand River and through Grand Rapids, Wyoming and Grandville.
Thousands of runners, bicyclists, anglers and drivers annually traverse the trail, whose two lanes allow for one-way vehicle traffic and recreational activity.
Kent County Parks says that after hearing from neighbors through surveys and open houses, they believe safety is important to those who use the trail as wrong-way drivers and illegal dumping have long plagued the area.
Kent
'People don't care': Wrong-way drivers regularly spotted on Indian Mounds Drive
"You can't build a space and forget about safety," Kent County Parks Director Ben Swayze said. "We need to prove to the community that [the plan] is something that can not only be a positive asset to the community from a recreation standpoint, but not a negative for the commute and for drivers as well."
The plan includes a two-year pilot program that would close the trail to vehicle traffic while maintaining controlled access for emergency and maintenance vehicles, tribal partners and private landowners. To this end, gates would be installed on both ends of the trail.
The pilot would also allow for spot improvements to the pavement, new signs, benches and trash bins and an increased public safety presence.
If approved by the cities of Grand Rapids, Wyoming and Grandville, these changes would likely be implemented in May or June.
Then, dependent upon the success of the pilot, the trail could permanently close to cars to allow for a number of other improvements, including a complete trail reconstruction, river recreation areas and new trailheads.
In total, these improvements would likely cost more than $20 million.
"A natural resource like [Indian Mounds Drive] in an urban community is really of unheard of, right?" Swayze said. "So, we want to make sure we protect it."
For the full plan for Indian Mounds Drive from the Kent County Parks Department, click here.
Kane Coronado
Four years ago, Kane Coronado was shot and killed while riding his bicycle on Indian Mounds Drive.
To this day, the 18-year-old's case remains unsolved.
Kent
Family, bike-riding brothers remember teen shot, killed on Wyoming road
On Friday, I shared Kent County's safety-minded plans for the trail with Blaze White, a friend of Coronado.
"I love it, honestly," White said. "The fact that [the case] is unsolved is unfair and to hear that they're doing something to prevent more things like that from happening out there, I like to hear that."
In a statement to FOX 17, the Wyoming Police Department said it "continues to investigate the death of Kane Coronado. We encourage anyone who may have information to please come forward."
