EDWARDSBURG — A safer way to travel on foot is coming Edwardsburg.

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund from the Department of Natural Resources recently awarded Ontwa Township $40,000 to be used toward the creation of connector path allow US-12.

The grant money will put the project on path to be completed next summer, according to Jennifer Mackling, who wrote the application for the grant.

“It is such a relief to know that we are not going to have to raise that money on our own,” Mackling said.

The connector path project is a joint effort between Ontwa Township and the Cass County Road Commission. The path will connect the Edwardsburg Sports Complex with the Edwardsburg Public School system and the Village of Edwardsburg’s own network of walkways. The connector path will be a 2,300-foot-long and 10-foot-wide non-motorized pathway on the northside of US-12, beginning from an existing crosswalk at Claire Street in Edwardsburg to the ESC.

The goal of the connector path will be to provide safe travel for walkers and bikers from the Village to the complex or vice versa, according to the ESC’s website.

“Lots of people and runners run along US-12 and have to cross the street with no signal, which is obviously dangerous for many reasons,” Mackling said. “So, to be able to get them off the road and to be able to connect [the ESC] to the walkways in the village and the school is really important to creating recreational spaces and makes them more accessible without a car. Now, people won’t have to drive less than a half a mile to get to [the ESC] safely.”

The total anticipated cost of the project is $203,650. The Cass County Road Commission was awarded federal grant money through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program. In addition, Ontwa Township donated $15,000 to the project and the ESC donated $5,000.

The $40,000 grant from the Natural Resources Trust Fund will allow the project to match state funding the project had previously received, meaning that the project will no longer have to look elsewhere to match the funds.

“[The grant] is a huge gift,” Mackling said. “It means that the connector path is 100 percent, for sure happening.”

Mackling said that the connector path will signal a new way of life for the village of Edwardsburg.

“I think [the connection path] is the start of a lot bigger things in Edwardsburg,” Mackling said. “People will get to see what a great immensity it is to have a walkable community and to see people out riding their bikes. I think it will add a lot of value to Edwardsburg as a place to live for families. [The connector path] will cover such a small amount of space, but will connect the community in a big way.”