VBT DDA OKs three lanes on Belleville Rd. between Tyler, Ecorse

At a 33-minute meeting on Nov. 22, the Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority unanimously approved taking the first steps to widen Belleville Road to three lanes between Tyler and Ecorse roads and to continue the sidewalk along the east side of the road for that span.
Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara, who sits on the DDA, said he, Director Ron Akers and DDA Director Susan Ireland had met with the county’s engineering and roads officials and, “Wayne County is fully aware of Belleville Road” and its congestion. The need for a center turn lane in the area is well known and it is considered a “capacity project,” Supervisor McNamara said.
DDA Director Susan Ireland said that area is a bottleneck area with the road going from four lanes to two lanes and back to five lanes, which could qualify for funding under the Michigan Department of Transportation’s TEDF (Transporation Economic Development Fund) Category C for congestion relief.
Supervisor McNamara said county TEDF work on Haggerty Road in Van Buren Township between Ecorse and Van Born and work on Ford Road in Canton is ahead of the proposed Belleville Road widening, which is third on the list and might not come until 2024 or 2025.
Supervisor McNamara said the DDA has been working on acquiring right of way along Belleville Road, but it hasn’t acquired all of it. He said he sent the list to Director Akers to see what can be done.
He said if the township has a shovel-ready plan, it is more likely to get the county on the project sooner.
He said it is important to decide what exactly the township wants on Belleville Road. Should it be three, four, or five lanes?
McNamara said with this project being third on the list, if there is a holdup on either of the first two on the list, for details on the paperwork or something else, Belleville Road could rise on the list if everything is ready to go.
He said the township is going to come up with 20% of the project, which is estimated at $4 million. He said if the engineering is done, it could be done sooner than 2024 or 2025.
DDA member Mark Laginess said that’s what they did with Belleville Road from the bridge to the freeway when it was needing work. The project was ready and the county got it done sooner than expected.
McNamara said the DDA needs to get ten easements. He said you offer the fair price for the easements and then if the property owners won’t budge, you revert control to the township which can do eminent domain. One holdout includes a whole house.
He said he hates the thought of eminent domain, but, “Those properties are holding the community hostage.”
DDA chairman Craig Atchinson said three lanes are most likely and makes most sense.
Laginess agreed.
DDA member Vincent Delibera said building more lanes cost more bucks.
Atchinson said it’s for safety purposes, with the senior apartments going up there and the fire station there, too. And the mobile home park. It’s for the congestion more than anything, he said.
Atchinson said he talked with Police Lt. Charles Bazzy and he said the big trucks are supposed to go the other way, not south on Belleville Road. He referred to the agreements with property developers north of Ecorse that the big trucks would use other routes than Belleville Road.
“We did ask them to go another route, but we can’t eliminate it completely,” McNamara said. “They have every right in the world to use that roadway. They pay taxes.”
He said eminent domain takes a long time to accomplish.
Director Ireland said there are five parcels that are very strongly no.
Atchinson said when they were getting the rights of way, he thought it was for five lanes. If they go to three lanes, maybe there wouldn’t be as many right-of-way problems. He asked if the final decision wasn’t up to the county.
McNamara said if they set three lanes, there’s only six or eight parcels that are problems, but, “That house is going to have to be bought.”
Atchinson said they should get the ball rolling and give the $30,000 McNamara suggested to get to January for work by Wade Trim. And, set it at three lanes.
“This has been going on for ten years,” Atchinson said.
“Way longer than that,” said DDA vice chairperson Carol Bird.
Laginess made the motion to engage the work with Wade Trim for three lanes between Ecorse and Tyler on Belleville Road and allocate $30,000 for its work until January and get the design ball rolling. This includes continuing the sidewalk on the east side of the road.
The DDA also unanimously passed a resolution of support for a grant application request through the Ralph Wilson Jr. Design and Access Fund for planning and preliminary design for non-motorized improvements along Tyler Road from Township Hall/Quirk Road to Morton Taylor Road.
Wayne Hofmann from Wade Trim’s FundingScout Division is beginning preparations for the grant request. Wade Trim will develop the scope of work, cost, and schedule to support the application. It is anticipated that the cost to complete the submission will be within their pre-appointed grant application fee, Ireland said.
The first step in this project for sidewalks and walkways is this resolution of support, Ireland said. The walkways are to provide for those who will want to walk to the new community center now being built, according to the resolution.
She said it is separate from the Iron Belle Trail funding the township got from the Ralph Wilson Jr. fund.
In other action, the DDA approved the purchase of six sets of the Atlanta-style light poles from Great Lakes Electric and Supply Co. of Auburn Hills for Belleville Road in an amount of $64,660.08. The supply of streetlight repair parts had been depleted and Great Lakes was the lowest of three bidders.