Novi continues to connect the community with pathways

Printer Friendly Back to Press Releases

CONTACT: Sheryl Walsh, Director of Communications
248-735-5628
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOVI, Mich., August 25, 2011 – Encouraging healthy, active lifestyles through pathway connectivity continues to be a priority in the City of Novi. On August 22, 2011 the Novi City Council awarded a construction contract to Italia Construction, Inc., the lowest bidder, for the construction of a 6-foot-wide concrete pedestrian pathway along the north side of Nine Mile Road between Meadowbrook and Haggerty Road in the amount of $167,857. Construction is expected to begin this September and be completed in the fall.

Currently, the City has over 200 miles of pathways and sidewalks. The Nine Mile Road Pathway Project is one of four 2011 projects identified for construction in the City’s Pathway and Sidewalk Prioritization Analysis and Process Plan. The plan recognizes the importance of providing bicycle path and sidewalk connectivity to destination points such as:

• Schools, Novi Public Library, and places of worship;
• Retail centers, local shops and restaurants;
• Parks, natural areas, Novi Ice Arena; and
• Regional trail systems and path systems of neighboring communities.

Six sidewalk and pathway segments were completed in 2007-2008, eight segments in 2008-2009 and six segments in 2009-2010. The completed work equates to seven important pedestrian and bicycle route connections between homes and schools, four connections to retail areas, and a total of nine connections to and from the Novi neighborhoods.

Originally slated to be funded by a federal grant, which required a minimum pathway width of ten feet with additional 2-foot wide clear zones on each side, City Council voted on May 9, 2011 to reduce the width of the pathway to six feet to “better meet the needs of the community and the character of the Nine Mile corridor,” making it ineligible for federal grant funding. As a result, the pathway construction will be completed solely with local funds from the 2010- 2011 Capital Improvements Program. In addition to the $167,857 paid to Italia Construction, $30,200 will be awarded to Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment for construction engineering services, bringing the total cost to $198,067, which is less than the original budget estimate of $225,000.

City of Novi staff worked to reduce the impact to adjacent residential properties by reducing the number of easements and tree removals, retaining as much natural screening as possible. The final design includes a more meandering alignment than previously proposed and includes some additional ditch enclosures. As with the previous design, the pathway will not impact any private fences. Completion of the Nine Mile pathway will provide an alternate means of transportation that will benefit residents and businesses in Novi by connecting a large residential area with nearby non-motorized pathway systems such as the recently completed I-275 pathway. The existing and proposed pathways are planned to provide seamless walking and bicycling access in parallel with nearly all the main vehicular routes through the City. It is anticipated that a greater number of individuals will choose walking and bicycling as the preferred mode of transportation for many local trips and these choices will lead to healthier lifestyles, improved air and water quality, an improved quality of life for residents, and a more energy efficient and sustainable transportation system.