A long hike or bike ride on a warm Michigan spring day may seem like a long way off right now. However, plans are in the works to build a new trail line in mid-Michigan north of Lansing. Bids could go out as soon as next month to build a 42-mile trail on the site of an abandoned rail line from Owosso to Ionia. The project is part of a much larger plan that would create a sweeping 125-mile trail that would loop through parts of five counties.
Lynn Mason is the chair of the Midwest Rail Trail Authority, which is overseeing the project. She is also a four-term Ionia County commissioner and a candidate for the Michigan House 86th District seat as well.
Upon completion, it would be the fifth largest rail trail in the country. Mason says that it will help the surrounding communities in Michigan generate revenue and gain popularity as a destination.