Thomas Township Path

To construct the nearly mile-long sidewalk and trail route around the school’s property, Thomas Township and the Swan Valley School District applied for and received a Safe Routes to Schools grant for more than $500,000 through the Michigan Department of Transportation with the assistance of the Saginaw County Road Commission.

Prior to this, pedestrian access to the schools was limited and presented safety concerns. The new 10-foot-wide asphalt pathway connects to the Thomas Township pathway on one end, along the north side of O’Hern Road, before turning into a five-foot-wide residential sidewalk along the east side of Van Wormer Road.

Spicer Group’s engineers researched and visited the site often to design different solutions for the path’s route because of existing terrain, roadway, and other assets in the area. Along Van Wormer Road, the path crossed several residential properties, drains, and new accessible crossings were installed. Spicer Group was hired to design the path route, assist with permitting, coordination with project stakeholders, and construction administration and inspection on the project.