The Brighton City Council has taken the first step in a project – if given final approval in a four-way partnership - that would result in a much-improved Lee Road, which many city residents utilize when they get off the US-23 freeway.

The Brighton City Council voted unanimously to move forward with a multi-jurisdictional project to rehabilitate Lee Road on the southern edge of the city. The total cost of the project is an estimated $250,000. On Rickett Road, the southern terminus of Brighton falls well before Lee Road, being at Oak Ridge Drive, but the city limits extend to Lee Road in the Peppergrove area, on the city’s southwest side.

If the city and the other entities give final approval to the project, it would involve Brighton, Green Oak Twp., Hamburg Twp., and the Livingston County Road Commission. City Manager Nate Geinzer tells WHMI that many Brighton residents use Lee Road, including the greater portion of the roadway that does not border the city, and it’s in deplorable condition.

The Road Commission has agreed to partially fund the project up to $100,000, or 30%, plus a 10% contingency, The city of Brighton would contribute “up to $60,000” according to the motion. The actual estimate for the city’s share is $57,050, plus a contingency. A total of 32.6% of the affected road surface– which is actually a county roadway - borders the city of Brighton. The project would not be the first instance of cooperation with the different units of government, since the city participated in a different Lee Road project a number of years ago. (TT)