Kent County Parks wants to shut down a riverside corridor used by thousands annually. Officials have proposed a two-year pilot program that would close Indian Mounds Drive to vehicle traffic, installing gates on both ends of the four-mile trail that currently allows one-way driving alongside runners, bicyclists and anglers between Grand Rapids and Grandville through Wyoming.
The plan, revealed in a department release, would still allow controlled access for emergency and maintenance vehicles, tribal partners and private landowners, according to FOX 17 West Michigan News. WOODTV.com reports the closure would also carve out controlled access for property owners, museum stewards and authorized Tribal representatives along the stretch, which runs parallel to the Grand River.
A Trail Reshaped by Gates, Benches and New Parking
Beyond the gates, the pilot would allow pavement spot improvements, new signage, benches, trash bins and an increased public safety presence, the station's report notes. If the pilot proves successful, the trail could permanently close to cars altogether, opening the door to more ambitious work: complete trail reconstruction, new river recreation areas and additional trailheads.
Part of that bigger vision includes a brand-new trailhead with 23 parking spots and direct access to I-196, plus upgrades to three existing trailheads along the route, per the same account. Kent County Parks Director Ben Swayze has framed the overall push as a balancing act, saying the trail's development must include safety and demonstrate benefits for recreation “not a negative for the commute and for drivers as well.”
Swayze has also described Indian Mounds Drive as an unusual natural resource sitting inside an urban community — one he believes should be protected. The county says surveys and open houses showed that trail users consider safety a top priority, and the same reporting describes wrong-way drivers and illegal dumping as problems that have long plagued the corridor.
Survey Shows Broad Support for Going Car-Free
Those safety concerns appear to be resonating with the public. Of roughly 2,000 people surveyed, 70% supported demotorizing the trail, while 87% said they wanted to preserve its natural, quiet feel, according to the station's reporting.
Timing on the overhaul isn't entirely settled in the public record. If Grand Rapids, Wyoming and Grandville approve the changes, FOX 17 reports they would likely be implemented in May or June, while the WOODTV.com report states the department hopes to begin implementing changes in spring 2027, with the two-year pilot ending in 2029. The proposed improvements would likely cost more than $20 million in total, per the fox17online.com report.
The Unsolved Killing That Shadows the Safety Push
The safety framing around this project is inseparable from a case that has haunted the corridor for four years. Eighteen-year-old Kane Coronado was fatally shot while riding his bike on Indian Mounds Drive near a pedestrian bridge over the Grand River on Nov. 1, 2022, according to MLive. His case remains unsolved.
A year after the shooting, MLive reported that Silent Observer West Michigan had put up a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, and investigators had followed up on more than 40 tips without a break in the case. The Wyoming Police Department has said it continues to investigate Coronado's death and is urging anyone with information to come forward.
Blaze White, a friend of Coronado's, said he welcomed the new safety plans as a way to prevent similar incidents from happening again along the trail. For a corridor that thousands of runners, bicyclists, anglers and drivers traverse every year, the proposal represents an attempt to turn a stretch long marked by both heavy use and lingering danger into something closer to the quiet, protected greenway county surveys suggest residents actually want.
