Crowdfunding campaign launched for Ottaway Crossing Footbridge in Traverse City

Traverse City’s newest trail link is not just a scenic add-on. It is a 160-foot pedestrian bridge designed to fix a real break in the Boardman-Ottaway River corridor, connect the west side of the river to trails and destinations on the east, and help close a $100,000 funding gap before the project moves fully into place.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation launched the crowdfunding campaign for the Ottaway Crossing Footbridge through the Michigan-based Patronicity platform, setting a goal of $50,000 by July 31, 2026. If the campaign hits that mark, the project unlocks a matching grant through the state’s Public Spaces Community Places program. In other words, the local donations are the trigger for state money, and the campaign’s success will determine whether the last layer of financing falls into place.

The bridge will span the Boardman-Ottaway River at the former Sabin Dam site on Grand Traverse County’s Natural Education Reserve. Grand Traverse Conservation District materials say it will create access from the Boardman River Nature Center on the river’s west side to trails on the east side, including the TC Bay Soccer Complex and the Great Lakes Incubator Farm. For runners, walkers and cyclists, that means a missing east-west connection in a corridor that already carries heavy recreational use.

TART Trails has said the Boardman/Ottaway River Trail committee was formed in 2010 to study a 24-mile river-valley trail. The organization also says trail users can build a 41-plus-mile loop by connecting the Boardman/Ottaway River Trail with the North Country Trail, the Vasa Pathway and the TART network back into Traverse City. That larger loop gives the bridge value well beyond one crossing: it strengthens a regional trail system that draws residents, visitors and the outdoor economy tied to Grand Traverse County.

The need for resilient river infrastructure is part of the story too. TART Trails said flooding in 2019 caused permanent trail closures and permanent bridge damage along the Boardman/Ottaway River Trail, underscoring how storms can interrupt access and fragment the network. The broader restoration work on the Boardman River dates back years, including the removal of three old hydroelectric dams and modifications to the downtown Traverse City dam in the long-running river project.

Project materials say Molon Excavating completed the bridge work in 2026, suggesting the crowdfunding push is aimed at finishing the financial side of a nearly completed public project. Public Spaces Community Places has been used for a decade to leverage local support into state matching dollars, and the Ottaway Crossing effort now stands as a test of whether Grand Traverse County wants to finish the crossing and secure the corridor’s missing link.