Saturday, May 22, 2010
Scio Township, Ann Arbor, MI
'Rev' up your engines for the 2nd Annual
Jackson Road Cruise,
a seven mile cruisin' event sponsored by the Economic Development
Corporation (EDC) of Scio Township and generous local sponsors. In conjunction, this
spring's Boulevard Grand Opening marks the completion
of a twenty-year, three-phase Jackson Road & Boulevard development
project. The beautifully landscaped Boulevard has become a source of pride and
pleasure for local businesses and residents. It holds the
greatest concentration of Auto Dealers in this 'Motor Mile' in
Michigan.
The all day Cruise opens at 9:00 a.m. and admission is FREE. Cruise festivities kick-off with a 10:00 a.m. Fire Truck Parade at the Meijer parking lot (5645 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor). This 'rain or shine' family friendly event features car shows, contests, entertainment, food, and vendors. The EDC is promoting the local business community and helping them grow along with the annual Cruise. Online pre-registration is required for exhibitors.
Phase III Road Work
The Jackson Road, Phase III project was a two-year, $14.1
million road reconstruction project. The old two-lane
hot-mix asphalt road was rebuilt into a four-lane concrete
boulevard, extending the existing boulevard configuration an
additional two miles westward. The project started in April
2008 and was opened to traffic on November 11, 2009.
Phase III of the Jackson Road boulevard project was the longest, stretching from where the boulevard previously ended near the Lowe’s Home Improvement Store, to Dino Drive, just west of Baker Road. The work that began in 2008 involved clearing the right-of-way and moving utilities such as electric, gas, phone, and cable TV lines to their new locations outside the future roadway.
In addition to reconstructing the road, both the watermains and sanitary sewer mains were replaced and upgraded; all these components made this a big and complex project. The lead contractor on the project was Dan’s Excavating, Inc., the same contractor that constructed Phases I and II of the project.
Construction and paving took place on the roadway in 2009. Sidewalks were built on both sides of the road, landscaping was placed in the median area, and a new traffic signal truss system was installed at the Jackson Road / Baker Road intersection.
Federal, State, and Local Funding
The Jackson Road, Phase III project is an excellent example of partnership among federal, state and local government entities:
- The majority of the funding for Phase III came from the Scio Township Downtown Development Authority (DDA). The DDA’s share of the cost equaled approximately $15 million, which included engineering, right-of-way acquisition costs and actual construction.
- The Scio Township Sewer fund supplied approximately $1 million.
- Senators Levin and Stabenow secured nearly $5.2 million in federal aid for both construction and pavement research; former Congressman Schwarz added another $400,000 to that assistance.
- The State of Michigan provided over $1 million in aid as part of the Local Jobs Today program, designed to use infrastructure projects to increase the state’s job base today while improving the facilities that will help Michigan become more competitive in attracting future business.
- Township and Road Commission officials secured about $100,000 in transportation enhancement funds for landscaping the median.
Sheryl Siddall, WCRC Asst. Director of Engineering,
contributed to this article.
For Jackson Road Cruise directions or to register your vehicles, cycles, tractors, or trucks, visit: JRCruise.org