For students attending Eastern Michigan University, the Fall 2023 semester is just around the corner. With new classes and a buzzing back-to-school atmosphere, commuters and on-campus students have a thought looming in the back of their minds: what’s happening with Ypsilanti’s roads?
As the Winter 2023 semester came to a close, road construction started in many parts of Ypsilanti. These construction projects included a repair of various roads not far from the university.
“Work began on most of these projects in early May. On Huron River Drive, eastbound traffic will be maintained, but westbound traffic is being detoured to West Cross and Washtenaw,” Director of Public Services Bonnie Wessler said in a written statement.
The roads currently being worked on are Huron River Drive, from Cornell to LeForge (runs along the north side of EMU’s campus), Washtenaw (Cross to Hamilton), Hamilton (Washtenaw to I-94), Huron (Cross to I-94), Michigan (Michigan Ave Bridge over the Huron River to Hamilton), M-17/US-12 and Forest Street Bridge (over the Huron River, just east of EMU’s campus).
On April 18, the Ypsilanti City Council unanimously approved a contract through the Michigan Department of Transportation. This contract allowed for road repairs between streets, such as Cornell and Leforge.
Although the roadwork may be a setback for some, there is an estimated completion sometime in the upcoming year.
“Forest Street Bridge should be wrapping up by Halloween. With the others, we should see substantial completion by November, likely with some landscaping and touch-ups being done into the spring,” Wessler said.
Planning for the repairing of Ypsilanti’s roads and main infrastructures has been a significant issue for city officials throughout the past decade.
“For the M-17/US-12 project, that’s outside of the city’s jurisdiction – MDOT owns those roads. We’ve been working with them and the YCUA, the water/sewer utility in the area, to replace the aging water mains under these roads, repair them, and add safe bike and pedestrian infrastructure since about 2013,” Wessler said. “As for roads like Forest Street Bridge and Huron River Drive, these projects take about three years from the initial funding to design and begin construction.”
Construction is stressful to drivers and pedestrians alike, but after all the time and effort being put into the roadwork, Ypsilanti’s citizens are expected to be pleasantly surprised by the outcome.
“Things are going to be great once everything is done. Drivers will have a safer experience on Huron River Drive and the M-17/US-12 corridor due to some lane changes and traffic shifts,” Wessler said. “Those roads will see vast improvements in the facilities for the other road users – like pedestrians and bicyclists.”
For more information on Ypsilanti road construction, visit https://cityofypsilanti.com/816/Current-Projects.
