MARQUETTE, MI-- The state Department of Natural Resources is awarding funds for projects along the Iron Belle Trail.
The 1,259-mile hiking and 774-mile bicycling route stretches from Ironwood to Belle Isle in Detroit. Eighteen recipients across the state have received money to complete a portion of the trail.
In the U.P., the North Country Trail Association will get $30,000 for Environmental Impact Statement studies for a bridge over the Blind Sucker River in Luce County; the NCTA will also get $6,500 for signage; the Michigan Western Gateway Trail Authority in Gogebic County is getting $24,770 for easement acquisition; and the City of Gladstone will receive $21,500 for engineering costs on the Little Bay de Noc segment.
DNR trails coordinator Paul Yauk says 72 percent of the hiking route and 58 percent of the bicycling route are completed.
