The Door County Facilities and Parks Department announced that the Ahnapee Trail will be extended between Utah and Michigan Street along Highway 57 in Sturgeon Bay. This project has been in the works for many years and it took a collaborative effort to make it all come together.
The project is anticipated to start April 30, 2018 with substantial completion of June 15, 2018. The project is both State and Federal funded by three grants; the State Recreational Trails Act, the Acquisition and Development of Local Parks, and Federal Non-Traditional Transportation Local Program Grant. The Construction Management portion of the project is being supported fully by the Friends of the Door County Parks System Inc.
RC Excavating from, Suamico, Wisconsin is the prime contractor. Omni Associates will continue with Construction Management services until project completion. The completion of the trail will provide a connection to the Hwy 57 / Michigan Street roundabout. It has been identified by the County and the City in planning documents as a critical connection for pedestrians and bicyclists. The trail extension will support two trails; both a multimodal trail that is paved and a non-paved trail for winter snowmobile activities.
The project also had broad community support. Sturgeon Bay resident Paul Anschutz, a longtime advocate for complete streets and cycling infrastructure, was one community member that had been involved in the project from the initial concepts. He has been very active in working with all of the players to ensure it remained a priority. “Without the countless hours of time provided by various members of the public the trail would not have happened,” Anschutz said.
“It is exciting to see the project all come together,” Spritka said. “These types of projects are difficult to plan and obtain funding. It is great to see the community come together to enhance the Ahnapee Trail. When done the Trail will extend for over .5 miles.”
