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Plainfield Charter Township - South Rogue River Trail

Important Information

This project is a part of Plainfield Charter Township’s Master Plan being completed now at the request of Kent County Parks to fit in their overall Grand River Greenway trail plan. It is an 8-foot-wide paved pathway that starts at the White Pine Trail and ends at Kuttshill Dr (Northland Drive), where the tunnel will start. Kent County Parks is contributing to the project with a 175′ x 10′ wide long prefabricated steel bridge over the Rogue River (next spring).

Funding:

  • Trail: Plainfield Trails and Recreational Areas Millage, approved by voters in 2016.
  • Bridge: Kent County Parks is reimbursing the Township for this cost.

Schedule:

Work on the trail will begin in September 2025 and wrap up for the year in mid-November. Work will continue on the bridge through the winter, with completion of the entire project in the spring of 2026, by May 15, 2026.

Access/Traffic:

We anticipate occasional temporary road closures, specifically when the bridge is placed in the spring of 2026. Most trail work will be completed with temporary shoulder and lane closures.

Contact

P&N Engineer
Scott Post, PE
Project Manager
616-485-0281

P&N Construction Observer
John Standinger
312-833-7379

Contractor
Dan’s Excavating Services
Mr. Spencer Tellkamp
231-629-0501

Plainfield Charter Township
Mr. Bill Fischer
Community Development Director
616-364-1190

Joe Ketchum
Director of Facilities Management
248-640-2749

May 14, 2026

This is a big one.

We are thrilled to share that the pedestrian bridge was successfully installed today. Thank you for following along and sharing in the excitement as we get closer to opening the trail for everyone to enjoy. Be sure to check out the photos below!

Beyond the bridge installation, it has been a productive week across the entire corridor. The pathway paving is complete, and crews are actively working on concrete curbs and ADA ramps to finish out the pathway surface. Restoration work along the trail is also underway.

Rogue River Road will remain closed through the weekend and into early next week while crews complete the remaining bridge work. Over the weekend, concrete formwork will be set and the bridge deck will be poured. Early next week the crew will wrap up with guardrail reinstallation and site cleanup before the road reopens by end of day Tuesday.

Upcoming Work:

Next week: The focus shifts to finishing touches as the project heads toward opening. Restoration and seeding will continue along the corridor, final concrete will be poured, and site cleanup will ramp up in preparation for the trail opening. The finish line is in sight — we can’t wait to see you out on the trail!

Please Note:

Rogue River Road remains closed — detour routes are in place. Thank you for your patience as we complete this final phase of the bridge work.
May 7, 2026

This Week:

The project had some great progress and weather this week. Sand grading was completed all the way to White Pine Trail, and aggregate base was fully spread, graded, and compacted from Belmont to White Pine Trail. All driveway removals along the corridor are now complete. On Friday, the first asphalt base course is scheduled to be paved from the boardwalk to White Pine Trail, so crews spent this week getting everything ready for this step.

Upcoming Work:

Next week is shaping up to be one of the most exciting weeks of the project. The pedestrian bridge is set to arrive! The current schedule is to begin road closure staging and setup on Monday, with Rogue River Road officially closing to traffic on Tuesday to allow the operation to proceed safely. Also on Tuesday, the bridge will arrive on site. Wednesday, the crew will complete fabrication and final assembly preparations. Then on Thursday, the bridge is scheduled to be installed.

Alongside the bridge work, crews will also be laying the asphalt top course, completing concrete work, and continuing restoration along finished sections of the trail.

Please Note:

Rogue River Road will be closed beginning Tuesday, May 12. Detour routes will be in place, please allow extra travel time and watch for signage in the area. Thank you in advance for your patience during this exciting and busy week on site.
May 1, 2026

Progress Report:

The contractor continued making steady progress on pathway grading this week in preparation for the scheduled paving during the second week of May. Driveways east of the Belmont Avenue were removed, aggregate base was laid from the west side of the bridge to Belmont Ave, and sand grading was completed all the way to White Pine Trail.

Upcoming Work:

Next week crews will focus on finishing aggregate grading through to White Pine Trail and grading the sand at the bridge abutments. The team will also be making final preparations for asphalt paving, which is currently scheduled for Friday May 8th. It is exciting to see the pathway surface continue to take shape.
April 23, 2026

Progress Report:

Site conditions improved this week as the heavy rains and flood warnings receded. Dan’s Excavating continued grading efforts west of Verta Drive, installing sand and gravel along the pathway corridor. The crew also made good progress on restoration work along the previously paved sections of trail. Tomorrow (Friday, April 24) the restoration work will continue with Hydroseed along the eastern sections of pathway.

Upcoming Work:

Next week crews will continue working west while making preparations for the upcoming bridge installation. Existing driveways along the corridor will also be removed — any driveway that is taken out will have a temporary gravel approach installed to maintain access until permanent pavement or concrete replacement takes place.

Note:

Seeing Farther- We’re excited to share that the pedestrian bridge is on its way! Preparations for installation are currently planned to begin the week of May 11. As part of that process, Rogue River Road will be closed to allow the bridge to be set in place, with the closure expected to be complete by the end of that week. Detour routes will be in place during the closure. We will share more details as the date approaches.
April 17, 2026

Progress Report:

This week’s progress was impacted by significant rainfall, which temporarily halted work. Crews were able to complete some grading earlier in the week and are expected to return onsite Friday.

Upcoming Work:

Looking ahead to next week, the crew plans to resume grading operations and begin preparing the pathway area for a gravel subgrade.
April 10, 2026

Progress Report:

This week Dan’s Excavating continued grading sand near the bridge abutments while working around high water conditions — the Grand River crested roughly six feet above flood stage this week. Despite the challenging conditions, crews pressed forward on substructure drainage work and completed installation of the aggregate base material, shaped to grade in preparation for the pathway pavement.

Upcoming Work:

Next week crews plan to continue stripping topsoil west of the Rogue River Bridge from Verta Drive and will begin the restoration process on the completed sections of pathway. Weather permitting, the crews also plan to pour the concrete approaches to the boardwalk.
April 3, 2026

Progress Report:

Spring construction season is underway, and we’re excited to share this week’s progress with you. We appreciate your continued patience as we get back up to speed. Please note that all work is weather dependent and the schedules may shift accordingly.

This week Dan’s Excavating completed the backfilling of the bridge abutments and installed the accompanying drainage systems. Work also moved forward on the boardwalk and retaining walls.

Upcoming Work:

Next week the crew will shift their focus to the west side of the bridge, stripping topsoil and preparing for the gravel subgrade. Work will also continue on the east side of the bridge where the crews plan to complete the pathway grading from the boardwalk to the bridge.
December 4, 2025

Progress Report:

This week work forming and pouring concrete for the abutment walls at the bridge over Rogue River was completed. Dan’s Excavating is working to clear all excess equipment off site for the season.

Upcoming Work:

In the next few weeks Dan’s plans to be on site to backfill the abutments, as weather allows. The next big work to happen will be setting the bridge. Fabrication will be complete by mid-February, but they may hold off until spring to set it. Keep following this page for schedule update.

Happy Holidays!
November 26, 2025

Progress Report:

This week Dan’s Excavating worked on placing topsoil along the section of pathway that has been paved. Jelsema Concrete continued to work on the pedestrian bridge abutments, pouring the piers.

Upcoming Work:

Next week Dan’s Excavating will continue work on restoration efforts along the paved pathway. Jelsema Concrete will be on site to pour the final section of the bridge abutments.
November 20, 2025

Progress Report:

This week the foundation for the east abutment of the pedestrian bridge over Rogue River was poured and the contractor anticipates pouring the foundation for the west abutment. They are working on tying the rebar and building the forms for the abutment walls. Utilities were moved out of the construction area, and the paving contractor was able to adjust the schedule to get paving done this week. Paving is anticipated to be completed from the East side of the project to the proposed boardwalk by the end of the week.

Upcoming Work:

Next week concrete work will continue, and Dan’s Excavating will start on restoration along the paved area of pathway.