Safe Routes to School funds bike trail extension

OCP photo/Cyclists ride the William Field Memorial Hart Montague Trail.

By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor

HART — An $888,861 Safe Routes to School grant will fund a portion of the Pentwater Hart Trail near the Hart Public Schools campus.

The project will extend the William Field Memorial Hart Montague Trail, providing a safer route to the school campus and north to 72nd Avenue where it will eventually connect to the Pentwater Hart Trail. Construction is planned to begin next spring, said Hart City Manager Nichole Kleiner.

“The project will extend the existing 10-foot wide multi-use trail along the attached route (see map below), past the schools, through neighborhoods, ending at Tyler/72nd where the Friends of the Pentwater-Hart Trail are working hard to finish funding the rest of the connection to Pentwater,” said Kleiner. “The trail will have a 2-foot separation from the road.”

OCP photo/The William Field Memorial Hart Montague Trail in Rothbury.

“After nearly five years of planning, revisions, and perseverance, the Pentwater Hart Trail (organizers) are celebrating a major milestone,” states the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance. “The City of Hart has been awarded Safe Routes to School funding for Phase 2 of the Pentwater Hart Trail. This project will extend the trail through the City of Hart, connecting to the William Field Memorial Hart Montague Trail and providing a safer route past the Hart school campus. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2027.

“The award marks an important step toward the group’s long-term vision of creating a continuous shared-use trail connecting Hart and Pentwater. Planning is already underway for Phase 3, a 5.2-mile segment that will complete the connection.

“Congratulations to the Friends of the Pentwater Hart Trail, the City of Hart, and everyone who has championed this project over the years. Your persistence is paying off, and Michigan’s trail network is stronger because of it.”

Pentwater Hart Trail officials will provide an update on Phase 3 of the project in an upcoming article.

OCP photo/The bridge over Carlton Creek in Rothbury on the William Field Memorial Hart Montague Trail.

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