PLAINFILED TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A nearly three-mile stretch of Northland Drive in Plainfield Township is back open to traffic after the installation of a new pedestrian tunnel was completed ahead of schedule.
Northland Drive closed from West River Drive to Belding Road Friday and was expected to remain shut down through at least Monday, but crews worked around the clock to dig a 60-foot-wide trench across Northland Drive, install 19 concrete arches to form the tunnel, and place storm piping and electrical conduit before repaving the road and resetting the barrier wall.
“We’re excited to have the road open several days ahead of schedule, but the real payoff is the positive impact this will have on our community for generations to come," said Ben Swayze, Kent County Parks Department Director. "This tunnel was a key missing link along the growing Grand River Greenway brings us one step closer to a more connected regional trail system stretching all the way from the Lakeshore to Lowell."
Funded through a $10 million Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant to Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., the project also includes approximately half a mile of new non-motorized trail along the east side of Northland Drive between 7 Mile Road and Cannonsburg Road.
Once complete, the project will provide a safe, accessible way for people to continue along the South Rogue River Trail and connect to future trail extensions along Cannonsburg Road and Pettis Avenue, eventually reaching Knapp Street in Ada.
