By: Mike Koury | Woodward Talk | Published January 22, 2025
FERNDALE — Sidewalk reconstruction at several parks and an improvement project on Hilton Road are on the horizon this year in Ferndale.
The Ferndale City Council gave its approval to two projects at its Jan. 13 meeting. The first project calls for sidewalk reconstruction and improvements in seven municipal parks. The contract is between Ferndale and the Michigan Department of Transportation, with construction work to be done by Audia Concrete Construction Inc.
The sidewalk improvement project locations cover Harding Park, Mapledale Park, Martin Road Park, Vester Park, Wilson Park, Oakridge Park and Geary Park.
“We just didn’t have a lot of solid paths for people to get either from our neighborhoods or from the parking lots to the different areas of the parks,” Public Works Director James Jameson stated during the meeting.
The estimated cost for the sidewalk work is $283,600. The city is receiving state grants for 80% of projects costs, earmarked at $226,880. Ferndale will have to cover the remaining 20% of the project, which is $56,720. The city also has an additional $5,500 to cover as part of its total for irrigation repairs, if needed, bringing its share to $62,220.
Mayor Pro Tem Laura Mikulski told the Woodward Talk that the project primarily is to install new sidewalks where they didn’t exist in the right of way at the parks.
“It’s really about improving accessibility within our parks,” she said. “We’’re always trying to strive to make sure that we’re doing everything that we can for accessibility.”
The sidewalk improvements currently are scheduled to begin in mid-April.
The council also approved a project between the city and MDOT for the removal and resurfacing of Hilton Road from Nine Mile to Woodward Heights, with construction work done by Pro-Line Asphalt Paving Corp.
According to city documents, the project work includes hot mix asphalt removal and resurfacing on Hilton. There also will be improvements to concrete curb and gutter, curb ramps, pavement repair, structural adjustments and permanent pavement markings.
The total estimated cost is $1,113,615, with MDOT again covering 80% of the costs for $911,493 in federal funds. Ferndale’s share of the work is $202,122. The project currently is scheduled to begin in mid-June.
The Hilton Road construction will begin at an interesting time for Ferndale, as eastbound and westbound Interstate 696 will be rebuilt between Lahser Road and Interstate 75. The two-year project is expected to begin in March and take drivers off their normal paths, and it’s unknown how this will affect neighboring communities and their traffic patterns.
As Hilton Road is one of the major roadways in Ferndale, Mikulski stated her hope is that the resurfacing project goes quickly and smoothly.
“We know that the 696 project is going to be a two-year effort. Clearly, Hilton between Nine Mile and Woodward Heights is not going to be two years,” she said. “Because it’s 16 years old and that road surface is failing — I know that because I just drove on it on my way to get back home — having this opportunity to work in partnership with MDOT and improve that section of road, it’s really important especially because MDOT’s covering the bulk of costs. So my hope is that, again — fingers crossed —it’s not a huge section of road and if we can do it quick and efficiently and get it done, then my hope is that it doesn’t impact our overall traffic flow too much.”