Detroit gets $20M grant to connect Joe Louis Greenway and Iron Belle Trail

More walking and biking trails are coming to the city of Detroit.

It’s all thanks to a $20.7 million grant from the federal government to the Joe Louis Meets the Iron Belle: Connecting Communities in Detroit Project.

The funding will be used to improve the area across from the Dequindre Cut north toward Mack and build out another area on Woodmere between Vernon and Fort, as a part of the Joe Lewis Greenway.

The phase is the latest to be funded to establish nearly 30 miles of trails and paths that not only connect the city, but also the state.

"We’ve been working on various portions of that over the last several years and working with residents to figure out what their needs are for the different neighborhoods it passes through," said Meagan Elliott, Joe Louis Greenway Partnership Board Chair.

The path on Woodmere will connect to the Iron Belle Trail, a set of two trails, one for hiking and one for biking, that connects Ironwood in the Upper Peninsula.

Here's a look at which pieces of the Joe Lewis Gateway are funded and underway.

Detroiter Lance Woods, Co-Founder of WeRun313 has followed the Joe Lewis Greenway's progress for years.

His group often runs the Dequindre cut together. On Monday he expressed excitement about the future of the city's walking and biking system.

"It’s like a dream come true. I was educated through the Detroit Public School system, caught the bus rain, snow, sleet, or hail, so to be in this position right now is just incredible,” said Woods. "Our people need to see us living an active and healthy lifestyle and that's one of the things we do at run 313, to move people.”