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Trails council warns boardwalk closure on Wheelway Trail creates safety risk; funding options discussed
Summary
The Top of Michigan Trails Council told the Charlevoix County Board the closed Wheelway Trail boardwalk could push users onto the roadway shoulder, creating safety hazards; the council offered to assist with grants and fundraising while engineers advised against reopening the structure.
Brent Bolin of the Top of Michigan Trails Council told the Charlevoix County Board on May 27 that the boardwalk section of the Wheelway Trail is closed and that reopening it without addressing structural and monitoring concerns could create safety risks.
Bolin commended the Parks Department’s work, said the Trails Council is willing to help with grant applications and fundraising, and noted that the trail’s age might make it eligible for MDOT funding programs. He said the closure risks encouraging riders and pedestrians to bypass the boardwalk and travel along the roadway shoulder, creating a safety hazard.
The board heard that Machin Engineering does not recommend reopening the structure and that county staff see no practical way to monitor the number of users crossing the boardwalk. Bolin said he would follow up with the Trails Council’s grant coordinator to pursue funding opportunities.
During unscheduled public comment, John Jordan of the City of Charlevoix also addressed the Wheelway. There was discussion of a possible short-term summer reopening for bicycles and pedestrians while a long-term solution is developed; no formal action to reopen the boardwalk was taken at the meeting.
