Our Economic Stimulus Bike Projects

img_1255The first round of Metro Detroit’s transportation stimulus checks are in the mail and some are for major bike projects.

This funding is mostly from 3% transportation enhancements sub-allocation, which is $25.4 million for all of Michigan.

I-275 Bike Path (MDOT)

The original $10 million request to recontruct the bike path was reduced to two requests. The first is for $4 million. The second is for $5 million and will only be available if Michigan can recover unused road funds from other states.

Clinton River Trail Bridge (Pontiac)

This bridge at Telegraph and Orchard Lake Road has been long awaited. It will connect the two developed rail-trail segments on both sides of Telegraph. The funding amount is $2.1 million.

Midtown Loop (Detroit)

This $2.3 million in funding is going towards Phase I of the Midtown Loop, a 2-mile walking and (casual) biking loop through Wayne State and cultural center. It’s expected that this stimulus money will push previously secured funding into the second phase and possibly help fund the connector between this project and the Dequindre Cut.

Streetscaping

These projects are aimed at making a road more pedestrian and bicyclist friendly. For example, the Woodward project includes “sidewalks, tree planting, street lights, trash receptacles, bike racks.”

  • Woodward in Detroit between I-94 and Euclid (MDOT)
  • Monroe and Brush Streets in Greektown, Detroit
  • Michigan Avenue in Detroit between Cass and Woodward
  • Shelby Street in Detroit between State and Griswold

Transit-Related Projects

Both DDOT and SMART are receiving funds to improve/build bus shelters and related amenities. We’ll contact both to determine whether these projects include bike racks. DDOT has been pursuing bike racks for their bus shelters as well as their buses.

Other Detroit Road Work

We checked and none of MDOT’s Detroit stimulus road work coincides with the city’s non-motorized plan. However MDOT is replacing some bridge decks over I-96 which may coincide with the plan.

Wayne County is receiving funds to reconstruct sections of 7 Mile and Fenkel Roads. Both should have bike lanes. We will contact both Wayne County and the city officials to make sure this is known.

The city of Detroit is receiving over $14.4 million for major street repair. Once we learn which roads those involve we’ll cross check them with the non-motorized plan to see if they are scheduled for bike lanes.

This should clearly show the value of having non-motorized plans in place for cities.

All of MDOT’s Metro Region stimulus projects are available on-line. SEMCOG also has a list of all accepted project requests within their seven-county area.

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4 Responses to “Our Economic Stimulus Bike Projects”

  1. I-275 Bike Path: Getting Clean and Improved | m-bike.org Says:

    […] as we mentioned earlier, this trail is receiving economic stimulus funding for some significant and much needed reconstruction. There’s $4 million to start with a […]

  2. Russix Says:

    Are Grand River, Michigan, Woodward or Gratiot going to get bike lanes when the lines are repainted next? And how long do lines last?

  3. Todd Scott Says:

    I don’t know the exact schedule for when the lines will be repainted and whether they will include bike lanes. Long term, all four MDOT roads will receive bike lanes. Michigan and Gratiot Avenues will likely get theirs first. Also, it’s not always as easy as just painting bike lanes. In some cases traffic studies are required along with design plans. Right now we’re working the Detroit and MDOT to help make this happen.

  4. Streetsblog Capitol Hill » State DOTs Mark Earth Day by Pressing a More Road-Centric ‘Livability’ Says:

    […] projects" such as the Detroit area's Midtown Loop — a walking and biking path that got $2.3 million in stimulus aid last year — from Transportation Enhancements, a 20-year-old program that requires […]

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