The Grand Traverse County Road Commission (GTCRC) will partner with TART Trails to apply for state grant funding to create a separated pathway for pedestrians and cyclists along Five Mile Road – a move supported by Acme Township trustees, who cited safety concerns in a letter backing the grant application. The future of Five Mile itself is also up for discussion, with options ranging from reconstruction to dead-ending the road so it no longer empties onto US-31. The Ticker has the latest on that and other road projects, including Three Mile, Clark, Potter, Hampshire, and Barney.

Five Mile Road & Trail
Road commissioners have agreed to partner with TART Trails to apply for a transportation alternatives program (TAP) grant to create a separated sidepath along Five Mile Road north of Holiday Road. TART Trails has called the corridor “one of the most scenic yet also most precarious sections of trail,” offering panoramic views of East Grand Traverse Bay but also dangers posed by distracted motorists on the shared roadway, who frequently travel at speeds over 50 miles per hour. Acme Township trustees said the grant “represents an important opportunity to enhance transportation safety and enjoyment for pedestrians and drivers alike.”

“Recently, a statistically valid community survey was conducted in Acme Township, with a majority of respondents highlighting nonmotorized trails as the highest priority for transportation initiatives and recreation,” trustees wrote. “The existing trail along Five Mile was installed in the early ‘90s, and since then, users have experienced several safety concerns. For instance, the trail provides no separation from the road, and there have been numerous documented accidents at the railroad crossing.”

TART Trails Trail Planning & Management Director Chris Kushman told road commissioners that Five Mile contains the “only non-motorized connection on the east side of town connecting Acme to Traverse City and points north of Acme.” The project calls for reconfiguring the pathway and rail crossing to create a designated separate trail for people walking and biking along Five Mile. The project would encompass approximately 4,500 feet of pathway. The road lanes would remain the same at 12 feet wide, but the west shoulder would be downsized from four feet to three feet – with four feet of grass separation – to accommodate the pathway.

In consultation with GTCRC and Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) staff and Acme Township trustees, TART Trails brought on local firm Wade Trim to complete 30 percent of the engineering and design work to confirm the project’s viability. The project emerged as a priority when GTCRC staff indicated to TART Trails that Five Mile Road is slated for reconstruction. Staff initially thought the reconstruction could occur in 2026, but later changed that estimate to 2028. Even though the project is still a few years out, working through the grant cycle is a protracted process, Kushman noted. He also said that coordinating now on road and pathway plans so the projects can occur together “keeps construction cost-effective and minimizes duplication and disruption.”

While road commissioners were supportive of the separated pathway, they cautioned that plans for Five Mile Road have not been finalized. Some road commissioners weren’t even aware that Five Mile was on deck for reconstruction and noted that GTCRC projects coming up as soon as 2026 are still not fully confirmed, much less 2028. Road Commissioner Jason Gillman pointed out there have also been conversations about the possibility of terminating Five Mile Road and closing off the US-31 intersection, calling it a “terribly dangerous spot.” Such a scenario could “completely change the scope of what might happen to Five Mile north of Holiday Road,” he said.

Kushman said the trail project could be implemented in either scenario and potentially “work even better” if Five Mile was closed off. Road commissioners agreed to the grant application after it was established that the trail project was viable on its own separate from the road work – though the projects will ideally be aligned if both do proceed. The board left it up to TART Trails when to submit the grant application. Though TART Trails initially planned to apply this month, Kushman told The Ticker the organization will now wait until GTCRC updates its capital improvement plan this fall.

“This will allow us to better understand their timeline and align the TAP grant application accordingly,” he says. “Waiting on the TAP grant is necessary so we don't run into a situation where TAP is awarded, but the road project timing is not aligned.”

Other road project updates...
> GTCRC will begin the $2.3 million reconstruction of Three Mile Road Thursday between Hammond and South Airport roads. In addition to crush-and-shape work, some road widening will occur to create paved shoulders and a third turn/passing lane. A new pedestrian crossing is planned as part of the project to connect residents on the west side of the corridor over to a new trailhead that is expected to break ground later this fall as part of the Three Mile Trail expansion. Three Mile Road will be closed to through traffic this summer during construction, though business and residential access will be maintained. Vehicles will be detoured using Hammond, Four Mile, and Garfield roads. The project is estimated to be completed by the end of August before school begins – crucial timing given that four schools surround the Three Mile/Hammond intersection.

> Road commissioners are set to vote on several construction contracts at a special meeting Thursday for upcoming repair work. Elmer’s Crane and Dozer is recommended for two of the contracts, including a $972,163 overlay project with added shoulders on Clark Road from M-113 to Voice Road and urgently needed repairs to Potter Road in the amount of $220,260. Road commissioners will also vote to approve a $328,597 contract with J&N Construction for a special assessment district (SAD) paving project on Hampshire Drive in Acme Township. SAD projects are ones in which property owners initiate and help fund the work through an annual assessment on their properties over several years.

> Garfield Township trustees voted Tuesday to contribute $161,667 toward repairs on Barney Road, one of the most-criticized roads by residents for its poor condition. “The road has been prioritized by the GTCRC for repair, which will include replacing sections, overlaying others, and then chip-sealing the entire road in the spring of 2026,” Township Manager Chris Barsheff wrote in a memo to trustees. “The GTCRC will cover the full chip-seal cost next year.” Long Lake Township is also expected to contribute to the project, with GTCRC millage and Michigan Transportation Fund dollars rounding out the budget.