DETROIT – The second phase of the Grand River construction project will close multiple lanes next week between Southfield Freeway and Berg Road.
Community members got a chance to meet with officials from the Michigan Department of Transportation and the city of Detroit to discuss the second phase of the Grand River Road Diet project.
The project will take Grand River from seven lanes down to five lanes, with defined on-street parking.
“We’re adding a two-way cycle track on the north side of Grand River,” MDOT project manager Bonnie Yu said. “We’re doing some traffic signal work.”
Phase two will begin next week between Southfield Freeway and Berg Road. It will be completed this November, MDOT officials said.
The purpose of the road diet isn’t to get people through the area faster, but to slow down traffic.
“We’re slowing down traffic,” Yu said. “Lanes will be more narrow and we’re adding a lot of mid-block crossings. Pretty much, with this road diet we’re hoping to make it a destination for people to come and shop at the businesses.”
While the idea of increased foot traffic on Grand River is appealing to business owners, many community members expressed concerns Monday about how taking away lanes could be dangerous.
“We’ve watched accidents, arguments, everything, and with you reducing Grant River by a third, it’s just going to dump more traffic back there,” one person said.
MDOT officials plan to address concerns from the community before, during and after the project.
“We can take a look at what’s happening with traffic patterns after the construction happens,” Yu said.
An open house meeting is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at the Redford Public Library.