Washtenaw County Border-to-Border Trail Connector in Dexter Officially Opens

A new trail connecting residents in Dexter's Westridge Subdivision to the rest of the village officially opened to the public this week.

The connector is part of Washtenaw County's Border-to-Border trail, a 35-mile non-motorized path that passes through the communities of Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Dexter. The village's portion of the trail runs from the Westridge subdivision on the northwestern edge of Dexter through Warrior Creek Park under the railroad bridge for a total length of 800 feet.

Allison Bishop, community development director, said the trail will positively impact Dexter's economic development, as the Westridge connector now links 250 homes with direct access to downtown. Prior to the trail's completion the Westridge subdivision was isolated from the rest of the village.

"The trail will provide a safe route for residents to commute and will help establish downtown Dexter as a destination location," Bishop said.

A second section of the trail, which is scheduled to begin construction in August, will connect to Westridge.

"Upon completion of the Hudson Mills trail and Mill Creek Park, there will be close to 15 miles of non-motorized pathways immediately outside of downtown Dexter," Bishop said.

A grand opening and ribbon cutting for the Westridge connector will take place in the spring. Bishop said no dates have been determined yet.