Birmingham Maple project finalized with MDOT

The city of Birmingham announced it has finalized necessary arrangements with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) for the Maple Road reconstruction project, and is now working to establish a start date with their project contractor, with the anticipated date of construction beginning in early May and lasting approximately four months. The Maple Road reconstruction project is a joint project between the city of Birmingham and MDOT, which awarded the city a $700,000 grant to support the construction. In early March, the Birmingham City Commission approved a $7.2 million contract for the second phase of the city's Downtown Improvement Initiative, with phase one, the reconstruction of Old Woodward Avenue, including the intersection at Maple, completed in 2018. The city awarded the construction contract to Iafrate Construction, which handled the 2018 Old Woodward project. This year's project will reconstruct Maple Road between Chester and Woodward roads, along with the planned improvements at the Southfield and Maple intersection. In addition to replacing the concrete pavement and asphalt overlay, work will include the replacement of water and sewer, the replacement of traffic signals with mast arms at three intersections, new fiber optic conduit system, city-owned electrical system and new landscaping with irrigation. Similar to Old Woodward, the Maple Road reconstruction project is driven by the need to replace existing water mains and sewer lines. It will also enhance the aesthetics and functionality of downtown Birmingham and improve walkability. Key elements include new underground infrastructure, new streetlights, new irrigation system, improved landscaping and on-street parking, granite bench seating and cell phone charging stations, improved ADA parking and access, a new mid-block crossing for increased pedestrian safety, and the realignment of Southfield Road at Maple to reduce sharp turns and lessen congestion in the area. “We’re pleased to continue the necessary improvements to a key segment of our aging infrastructure,” said Birmingham City Manager Joe Valentine. “Recent events have made it difficult to identify a clear start date, however, in current discussions with Iafrate we are tentatively targeting the week of May 4th. We will begin providing weekly updates on the project through our notification system which we encourage everyone to sign up for.” Residents can sign up for updates on the Maple Road project at bhamgov.org/maplereconstruction.