Orion Township - Clarkston Road Regional Pathway

Regional Pathway a Key Connector to Township Trail System and Popular Visitor Destinations

OHM Advisors was engaged by the Charter Township of Orion, Michigan to construct a regional path connection along the Clarkston Road portion of the statewide Iron Belle Trail. The three-phase project completed a contiguous stretch of pathway that extends approximately six miles across the Township and features a connection to the regionally significant Polly Ann and Paint Creek trails.

Our multidisciplinary team worked collaboratively to help the Township obtain multiple public funding grants to complete the project, design the project pathway to traverse a large wetland, obtain property easements securing rights of way, and coordinate with multiple public entities.

The completed pathway consists of 900 feet of paved surface and 1400 feet of boardwalk along the shore of Elkhorn Lake with multiple constructed nature outlooks along the way. The team secured easements for construction of the boardwalk pathway from the adjacent homeowners, and due to the existing terrain, constructed a 200-foot, ADA-compliant retaining wall.

The project required support from and coordination with several public entities including the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC), Lake Orion Community Schools, Oakland County Parks Department, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. It was completed in 2020 during the global pandemic that drove the public in record numbers to open spaces, and successfully closed gaps between destination areas such as the Villages of Lake Orion and Clarkston, Orion Township and Oakland County Parks, and the Orion Township Library. The trail-going public now enjoys over 31 miles of contiguous pathway between the Polly Ann Trail (16.9), the Paint Creek Trail (8.9) and the Clarkston Road Regional Pathway (5.8).

Project highlights: design, funding assistance, right-of-way acquisitions, contract administration, construction engineering, construction observation