VBT DDA approves $816,524 for Belleville Road widening project

The Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority at its Aug. 22 meeting unanimously approved paying $816,524.59 to Wade Trim engineers for the detailed scope of work proposal for the widening of Belleville Road.
This project has been included in Congresswoman Debbie Dingell’s FY 2024 allocation in the amount of $500,000 and DDA Director Merrie Coburn said other grants are being sought.
The widening of Belleville Road to three lanes between Tyler and Ecorse roads with curb and gutter on both sides is scheduled for construction in 2025.
The project will be funded with a combination of state and federal monies thus requiring it to go through the MDOT local agency process for design, bidding, award and construction services. Since this is a Wayne County facility, it will require Wayne County to act as the Act 51 sponsoring agency to bid the project through MDOT’s Local Agency Programs (LAP) unit in Lansing.
The township and DDA will enter into an intergovernmental agreement where the township and DDA will pay for the design of the roadway and Wayne County will oversee the design, letting through MDOT, and construction oversight.
In addition to the design of the roadway, the township will be replacing water main that has reached the end of its useful service. Ron Akers, the township’s director of municipal services, said the $98,000 request for the water main will come to the township board for approval.
The DDA has been working to acquire the final parcels of right of way along the corridor to achieve the master-planned 120-foot wide county goal which would allow future expansion of the road to five lanes.
In other business at the Aug. 22 meeting, the DDA:
• Approved paying $25,000 for the dues for 2023 membership in the Detroit Region Aerotropolis. Van Buren Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara said Aerotropolis director Chris Girdwood is functioning as the economics director of the township in the work he does for Aerotropolis;
• Approved paying $20,000 for the proposal of Laura Sigmon for services from Best Practice Consulting Services for Small Business Support in the township. The firm will hold open office hours on the first and thirds Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in person at the DDA building, to offer information for small businesses on access to capital, labor support, and business operations;
• Approved the purchase of two benches and a trash can to be placed on the township’s property (former DNR property) at Belleville and Quirk roads to be used by walkers. Selected was the low bidder, Global Industrial at $2,353.99. an 8×8’ concrete pad will be laid;
• Approved $2,000 allocation for the Firehouse Pancake Breakfast event from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 7, at Station #2 on Belleville Road. This event’s primary goal is to raise awareness about fire safety and emergency preparedness within the community. The last pancake event was in 2019 and then the project was shut down by COVID. Fire Chief Dave McInally said the plan is to use the $5 suggested donations to HART, Huron Valley Supporting Emergency Responders in Washtenaw County for the work they have done for the township. He said they spent two days here following the MiG crash and was helpful during two recent apartment fires. DDA chairman Craig Atchinson said he would personally match the DDA’s donation with another $2,000;
• Learned a tentative public-engagement meeting has been set for Sept. 14 on a proposed Tyler Road Sidewalk Project. A public survey will be taken during the month of September;
• Heard Coburn report the DTE project at Belleville and Ecorse roads to install a second gas line in the township is scheduled for completion by October. DTE has assured the township the landscaping will be restored to its original design; and
• Heard McNamara say the township’s next big project will be providing more sewer capacity for properties north of Willow Run. He said the Rouge Valley Sewage Disposal System does not have enough capacity to handle it, so there is a proposal to run a line down Beck Road to the South Huron Valley Sewage Disposal System or to the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority. He said Aerotropolis donated $7,325 for engineering analysis for the project.