Title
Adoption of Resolution of Support - City of Pontiac's Grant Application for Engineering Evaluation and Recommendations for a Clinton River Trail Pedestrian Bridge
Body
Whereas, a safe, user-friendly trail crossing at Telegraph Road is vital to the realization of the Clinton River Trail as the very hub of Oakland County's emerging trailways network; and
Whereas, without a safe trail-road interface here, Telegraph Road will be a barrier and deterrent to use of the trail, thus diminishing the trail's use and reducing the potential that it has to revitalize Pontiac's downtown city center and provide high-quality recreation in a densely populated urban region and connect communities via non-motorized access throughout a large portion of the metropolitan Detroit area; and
Whereas, the need to evaluate a pedestrian-only bridge at the Telegraph Road crossing is the result of a significant effort on the part of trail/highway stakeholders to find a suitable alternative for the trail-road interface; and
Whereas, beginning in February of this year, a series of meetings known as the "Clinton River Trail Telegraph Road Crossing Study Group" were held to explore alternatives; and
Whereas, MDOT staff for the Oakland Service Center determined that the at-grade crossing that was proposed in the Clinton River Trail Master Plan (funded by a Greenway Initiative pre-development grant in 2003) was unacceptable from a pedestrian safety point of view; and
Whereas, the work to be funded by this grant application will provide vital engineering analysis and cost estimates that are essential for final decisions and specifications for an optimal Telegraph Road crossing and is a prerequisite to gaining the necessary stakeholder buy-in and funding sources in order for a project of this magnitude to be undertaken.
Be It Resolved that the Rochester Hills City Council concurs with the recommendation of the Leisure Activities Committee and hereby adopts this Resolution of Support to the City of Pontiac, Michigan, for its grant application to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan regarding the Clinton River Trail to assist with engineering evaluation and recommendations for a pedestrian bridge to span the Clinton River Trail across Telegraph Road on the City's west side.