GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Most cars would be kept off Indian Mounds Drive in Grand Rapids, Mich., under a plan the Kent County Parks Department rolled out Wednesday, turning the riverside route into a trail for walkers, bikers and anglers.
The road and shared recreation lane stretches about four miles beside the Grand River, from the southwest side of Grand Rapids through Wyoming to Grandville. County planners presented the proposal at an open house at the parks administration building, 1700 Butterworth St. SW, after a feasibility study that took about a year.
Through traffic would end, but property owners, emergency and maintenance crews, Tribal representatives and stewards from the Grand Rapids Public Museum, which cares for the ancient burial mounds along the road, would keep controlled access.
About 2,000 people answered a county survey. Roughly 70% backed taking cars off the route, and 87% asked that its quiet, natural character be kept.
Kent County Parks would become the main operator. Grand Rapids, Wyoming and Grandville would still own their segments while handing upkeep to the county. Work could start as soon as spring 2027 with a two-year pilot that adds vehicle gates and more safety patrols. Later phases call for a new trailhead with 23 parking spaces where Market Avenue meets the drive, a rebuilt trail and spots with fishing and kayak access.
The corridor is part of the Grand River Greenway, a growing network of parks and trails meant to link West Michigan towns to the river from Lowell to the lakeshore.
Section: More Grand Rapids MI crime news
Filed under: Grand Rapids MI Traffic News
