Apple Blossom Trail improvements in Iron County will receive $400,000 in funding under Michigan’s Shared Streets and Spaces Grant program, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced.

Grants of $200,000 each will go to the cities of Caspian and Iron River. The Iron River award is for a trail boardwalk replacement.

The Apple Blossom Trail is a 3.5-mile recreational/bike trail throughout the city of Iron River, with connections to adjacent municipalities.

Caspian plans to remove and replace the fishing pier and re-do the parking lot and trail from the Apple Blossom parking lot north to Museum Drive, City Manager John Stokoski said.

“We plan to install a culvert in a low-lying area so the walking trail will not be underwater when we receive heavy rains,” Stokoski said.

The Michigan Department of Transportation budget for 2024 included a one-time appropriation of $3.5 million intended to support quick-build projects for the purpose of making communities more walkable, bikeable and transit- and micromobility-friendly.

The program is administered by MDOT with no local match requirement for grants of up to $200,000. The grants also cover the cost of engineering.

The SSSG program was highly competitive, with the state receiving 69 complete applications requesting $12.8 million in funds, Whitmer said Monday in a news release.

Other Upper Peninsula recipients included:

— City of Escanaba, $200,000 for a complete street project on Ludington Street, designed to enable safe access for all users.

— City of Hancock, $200,000 for an Elevation Street sidewalk connector.

— City of Houghton, $200,000 for Bridgeview Park improvements.

— Marquette County Transit Authority, $196,753 for a school, park and transit connection at K.I. Sawyer.

— City of Negaunee, $200,000 for a downtown enhancement project.

“(These) infrastructure investments will help dozens of communities across Michigan become more walkable, bike-friendly, and accessible to transit,” said Whitmer.