West Nine Mile Road Reconstruction Project Kicks Off Today

The public is invited to attend a groundbreaking ceremony and community roundup Wednesday, May 1, for the reconstruction of West Nine Mile Road in downtown Ferndale.

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The event kicks off the $1.8 million project dubbed "How the West was One" that 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

"Completed, the west end of West Nine Mile Road will parallel the streetscape east to Woodward in look, feel and economic viability," a Ferndale Downtown Development Authority press release says.

"Multiple sources will fund the project led by the City of Ferndale’s match to (a Michigan Department of Transportation) Traffic Enhancement (TE) grant of $590,000 as well as a Federal Highway SAFETEA grant of $320,000+ for road resurfacing, for a total project cost of $1.8 million," according to the press release.

The following tentative timeline has been set for the work, which the DDA estimates will take seven months.

• May 1: Ground-breaking ceremony, 6-8 p.m., 918 W. Nine Mile Road.
• May 6: Community open house at Ferndale DDA office, 9 a.m. to noon, 149 W. Nine Mile Road.
• May 13: 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.

"There are many components to this project and, realistically, there will be many challenges. By keeping stakeholders informed and working together we will come out shining when we finally connect the different sections of our downtown," DDA Executive Director Cristina Sheppard-Decius said. "The city, the contractors and the DDA crew are all working together to make this project happen as smoothly and quickly as possible for our businesses and users of our downtown."

If you go

• When: 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 1
• Where: 918 W. Nine Mile Road.
• What else: The event will outline details of the project and provide “survivor” tips to businesses in the area.

Visit downtownferndale.com for more information.