Ferndale Kicks Off 'How the West was One' Road Reconstruction Project

The mood was ebullient Wednesday as Ferndale officially broke ground on the nearly $1.9 million "How the West was One" reconstruction project along West Nine Mile Road.

[Click here to learn more about "How the West was One!"]

Wild West-style music played in the background as dozens of community members, government officials – some sporting requisite hard hats – and business owners gathered at 918 W. Nine Mile Road to sign in and mingle before strolling to Livernois for the ceremonial groundbreaking.

Major construction work is not scheduled to begin until May 13; the project will last for approximately seven months.

Upon check-in Wednesday, business owners received a "Gold Rush Survival Kit" with tips from the Downtown Development Authority on how to cope with traffic disruptions and communicate with customers during the project, as well as a strand of twinkly lights to use while on-street lighting is out of commission.

Resident Valerie Weiss, who rode to the event with her daughter Ava Gasparott in a bike seat, said she and her family are excited about the project.

"We love it," she said as the crowd made its way to the groundbreaking site. "We live down at Livernois and Marshall. We recently moved back to Ferndale because we missed the walkability, diversity and friendliness."

"How the West was One" will bring the following improvements to the stretch of roadway between Livernois and Pinecrest.

• Road resurfacing
• Water main replacement (Planavon to Pinecrest)
• New street lights
• On-street parking
• Reduced traffic lanes
• Wider sidewalks
• Trees and other landscaping

"It is a dream for us to actually see this coming to fruition," DDA Executive Director Cristina Sheppard-Decius said Wednesday as she addressed onlookers gathered on the grass near Livernois and Nine Mile.

Dave Coulter echoed her sentiment: "I'm really proud to be the mayor of the city today," he said before inviting the group to dig into a ceremonial mound of dirt.

What's next

• May 6: Community open house at Ferndale DDA office, 9 a.m. to noon, 149 W. Nine Mile Road.
• May 13: Construction equipment moves in and digging begins. Water main replacement, north side of West Nine, Planavon to Pinecrest; temporary narrowing of West Nine Mile to two lanes.
• July: Streetscape improvements, north side of West Nine, Livernois to Pinecrest.
• September: Streetscape improvements, south side of West Nine, Livernois to Pinecrest.

Visit downtownferndale.com for more information.