PEA Group worked with Wayne County to develop plans for two new accessible kayak landings on the Rouge River in Venoy-Dorsey Park. Funded through a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) grant, the project focuses on providing access to paddlers and fishermen in a previously relatively inaccessible portion of the Lower Rouge River. The two landings, located roughly one mile apart, each provide ADA access to a floating canoe/kayak dock. A new parking lot at each, with kayak/canoe storage areas, provides opportunities for just a short paddle between the two sites or as part of a longer excursion on the Lower Rouge.
To create the landings, a “cove” was created at each site to accommodate the floating accessible landings while both maintaining the river channel width and protecting the structures from floating debris. Along with the floating landing, a traditional paved access ramp was incorporated for a more traditional landing when the floating ramp is either in use or in seasonal storage.
A combination of limestone ledge stones and boulders was specified for each of the coves to protect the bank and provide seating/fishing platforms among the newly shaped shorelines and native shoreline plantings.