December 20, 2006 - - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that more than $2 million in federal Transportation Enhancement (TE) funding will be awarded to four Michigan counties. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will award a total of $2,150,300 in TE funding for five projects across the state ranging from restoring a brick street in a historic district of Grand Rapids to improvements focused on making the city of Oak Park more pedestrian friendly.
"These projects make neighborhoods more appealing for families and businesses alike," said Governor Granholm. "They improve quality of life in Michigan communities and make our communities more attractive to new job providers."
The counties receiving the federal funding include Grand Traverse, Kent, Oakland, and Wayne. Matching funds add $1,204,671, creating a total investment of $3,354,971 in transportation enhancement projects.
"This investment by MDOT, the city, project partners, and neighbors symbolize the best of our private/public partnerships in Grand Rapids. Working together, these partners will accelerate the creation of a unique and sustainable neighborhood. A key to any effort like this is creating the right environment. We have done that together," said Grand Rapids City Deputy Manager Eric Delong. The city is receiving a TE grant to complete the second phase of a project to restore the last remaining section of an historic brick street in Grand Rapids.
Under federal law, 10 percent of federal surface transportation funds are set aside for TE projects. Administered by MDOT, the grants enable communities to invest in landscapes, streetscapes, and bike path development. TE funds provide a maximum of up to 80 percent of the money required for each project, with the remainder coming from state and local government and the private sector.
The following projects are listed by county:
Grand Traverse
MDOT, in partnership with Acme Township, will construct landscaping enhancements at the US-31/M-72 intersection in Acme Township to enhance the corridor that serves as a gateway to Acme Township and popular tourist destinations in the area. Landscaping enhancements include colored, stamped concrete sidewalks, trees, landscape plantings and sod. The project will be paired with MDOT's current intersection widening project that began this fall and will be completed in the summer of 2007. The budget is $280,901 including $224,721 federal TE funds and $56,180 in matching funds from MDOT.
Kent
The city of Grand Rapids will reconstruct the brick street and install streetscape amenities on Cherry Street between Hollister and Warren avenues to beautify the Fairmont Square Historic District in Grand Rapids. Project elements include brick pavement, street trees and landscaping, and ornamental street lighting. This project is the second phase of the reconstruction/rehabilitation of the historic brick portion of Cherry Street. The first phase, which involved work between Warren and Diamond avenues, was completed in 2004. A future phase on Cherry Street between Eastern and Hollister avenues will complete the reconstruction. The budget is $575,070, including $460,056 in federal TE funds and $115,014 in matching funds from the city.
Oakland
The city of Oak Park will construct a streetscape project at the intersection of Nine Mile Road and Coolidge Road. Project items include new sidewalks, decorative fencing and guard rail, brick piers for the fencing, landscaping walls, trees and shrubs. This project is part of the phase one of Oak Park's "Celebrating Diversity & Community" project, a $25.2 million multi-phased effort intended to strengthen and enhance the identity of the city of Oak Park as well as instill community pride. Phase one included reconstructing the Nine Mile and Coolidge intersection, which is the community's business center. The streetscape project will complement the improvements from the road project, which included installing paved crosswalks and mast arm traffic signals to create a safer, and more pleasant pedestrian atmosphere. The budget is $720,075, including $576,060 in federal TE funds and $144,015 in matching funds from the city.
The city of Birmingham will streetscape a half mile of North Old Woodward Avenue, from Willits Street to Oak Street, in conjunction with a road reconstruction project that will create a boulevard section. This project is located in a commercial downtown area of the city, and serves as a gateway to Birmingham's main downtown intersection of Old Woodward Avenue/Maple Road. The project will include adding landscaping and tree plantings within the median boulevard and along the road edges, and constructing sawcut and exposed aggregate sidewalk along the road edges. The budget is $259,845 with $129,923 in federal TE funds and $129,922 in matching funds from the city.
Wayne
The city of Dearborn will construct a streetscape project on Warren Avenue from Schaefer Road to Lonyo. Project items include colored stamped concrete sidewalks, trees and tree grates, planting areas, new decorative street lamps, trash receptacles and benches. This project will provide widened sidewalks at street intersections to facilitate safe pedestrian activity and induce a calming effect on movement of vehicular traffic. Furthermore, the project will render the area ADA-compliant, making the entire corridor safe and user-friendly for bike riders, wheelchair users and adults with strollers. The total participating budget is $1,519,080, $759,540 in federal TE funds and $759,540 in matching funds from the city.
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