CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Canton Township leaders say a safety overhaul is coming to one of the community’s busiest corridors after residents identified dangerous trouble spots along local roads.
Township Supervisor Anne Marie Graham-Hudak said the Michigan Department of Transportation has awarded Canton a $400,000 grant to make improvements aimed at slowing traffic and protecting pedestrians.
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A township map identifies key “hotspots” that residents flagged as needing improvement.
Another area of concern highlighted by residents was school crossing zones, where families say heavy traffic and speeding drivers put children at risk.
“We have a big sidewalk program right now, which is part of this, to make sure people have sidewalks to walk on; they don’t have to go out into the road,” Graham-Hudak said.
Over the past few years, officials have been working to ensure more sidewalks are available near roadways.
Big changes are coming to Ford Road, too.
In the next couple of years, it will be redesigned into a boulevard.
The current center turn lane — the middle yellow lane — will become a raised median, limiting left and right turns and preventing drivers from merging unpredictably.
“It won’t be like Michigan Avenue, it won’t have the big median,” Graham-Hudak said, but the changes are intended to calm traffic and reduce crashes.
Once construction is complete, drivers will be required to use “Michigan lefts” instead of making traditional left turns across traffic.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2028.
Graham-Hudak said the changes are expected to slow drivers and improve safety in a corridor that now sees heavy congestion and high speeds.