New township safety path added for 2021

By Lisa Brody

After previously suspending a planned safety path along Club Drive in Bloomfield Township, the board of trustees unanimously approved a replacement path for 2021 along the east side of Telegraph Road between Hickory Grove and Franklin roads, at their meeting on Monday, April 12, to be added to the other planned routes to be built this season.

“Since we are no longer doing Club Drive, there is available funding for 2021,” in the 2021 safety path routes budget, said Olivia Olsztyn-Budry, township director of engineering and environmental services.

The Club Drive safety path, funded and budget for $1.45 million, was suspended after easements and neighborhood support became difficult to achieve.

Olsztyn-Budry said the department looked for a path that would be feasible to design and construct in a year, and Telegraph between Hickory Grove and Franklin will create a continuous route all the way along Telegraph south of Square Lake Road.

“In addition, this route will connect to the proposed Telegraph Road/Square Lake Road pedestrian crossings proposed to be constructed in 2022 as part of the Transportation Alternative Program grant that was awarded in August, 2020,” she said.

Preliminary costs for construction and engineering is $800,000.

“That sounds like an excellent choice for a substitute,” said trustee Val Murray.