Trustees okay Jan Roncelli Safety Path items

By Dana Casadei

Multiple items regarding the Jan Roncelli Safety Path were approved by the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees at their meeting on Monday, August 24.

The first focused on closing two gaps along the safety path. One gap is located on the southeast side of Bradway Blvd., between Lahser Road and Tuckahoe Road, and the other on the south side of Tottenham Road from 2169 Tottenham Road to the Birmingham city limits. The two gaps are already identified on the master plan for the safety path. 

Work for this would consist of filling in a gap of about 100-200 feet where there is no sidewalk connecting one part of the safety path to another. This would not be a new proposed route. 

“It’s making a situation better for something we already own and are maintaining,” said Corey Almas, engineering & environmental services department (EESD) director. “These are on the master plan and are just gaps that should be filled.”

For years residents have approached the EESD about filling these two gaps, with the earliest comment in 2023 actually coming from the homeowner at 2169 Tottenham Road. 

“We think we can get these done in the spring… and it won’t be too terribly expensive to get it done,” Almas said. 

Work for this project will be completed next year as a change order to the 2026 safety path program. Estimated total cost for design engineering services is $19,768.

The board voted unanimously to approve filling in the gaps along the safety path. 

The second agenda item that Almas presented centered on the 2026 Jan Roncelli Safety Path contract award. Each year the EESD selects new routes from the safety path master plan and proposes them to the board of trustees for construction. 

This year’s suggested route was proposed on the south side of Quarton Road from N. Cranbrook Road to Chesterfield Avenue in Bloomfield Township, and from Pilgrim Ave. to Woodward Ave. in the city of Birmingham. Once completed, this project would result in a continuous safety path from the south side of Quarton Road from Telegraph Road to Woodward Avenue.

Regarding the work itself, the township received four different bids, with EESD recommending OCG Companies, LLC (OCG) of Bloomfield Hills. OCG was the lowest bidder with a total of $1,708,561 for the project. 

“This is a good one that will be great for the township and city of Birmingham,” Almas said. “It’s one we’re really excited about.”

Over the last two years the Jan Roncelli Safety Path system has extended to nearly 80 miles throughout Bloomfield Township, with five new paths completed during that time. This proposed path will fill a much needed gap, and Almas wasn’t the only one excited about it with multiple trustees speaking out about their excitement.

“That’s a much needed area. You can see it stop, starts, stops, starts again,” said trustee Valerie Murray.

Bloomfield Township will be sharing the cost of this project with Birmingham. The township’s piece will only be about 1,400 feet of the proposed safety path and will pay under 25 percent of the nearly $1.7 million cost. The township will also be reimbursed for their portion of the design and project expenses, according to Almas. 

“There were some challenges in the engineering piece, predominantly on the Birmingham side, which bumped up their cost…” Almas said. “Birmingham is a walkable community and there’s support and push for this project on their side as well.”

OCG was awarded the contract with a 7-0 vote.