By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Residents in the Village of Milford will be impacted by a significant construction project this summer that will address a street in bad shape with drainage problems.

Work is planned this summer on East Huron Street between Mont Eagle and River Drive. Village officials and project engineers hosted a virtual presentation last week to provide a general overview of the project and timeline. Sally Bos with OHM Advisors said the existing conditions are in pretty bad shape in terms of pavement, which is pretty broken and busted up and has been that way for a while. The street also has an outdated and undersized water main that needs to be replaced and be brought up to state standards. Bos said there’s also no stormwater drainage, which results in a lot of puddles to dodge and drive around. There were also said to be ADA issues and a number of sidewalk gaps and non-compliant ramps. Bos commented that the combination of road surface issues, drainage, the water main, and sidewalks make it a good project to address all of the issues at once.

There's roughly .25 miles of construction that will be done. The street’s aggregate base will be replaced with new asphalt. It was stated there will be some minor water interruptions due to the water main being upsized but advance notice will be provided to those impacted. What little curb and gutter there is will be replaced and new curb and gutter will be added along the entire stretch for stormwater management. Storm sewer will be added on the south side of the road that will outlet to the Huron River on the west side.

Sidewalk gaps will be filled in and connections made, with all intersections getting new sidewalk ramps to be ADA compliant. It was stated that the sidewalk is really tight to the curb in some areas so that will be pulled away from the road to make it safer for pedestrians. All driveways will be replaced with new concrete driveways. It was stated that none will be replaced smaller than they currently are – all will stay the same or be slightly larger. Bos also assured that all COVID-19 safety protocols and guidelines will be followed during the project.

Time was allotted for resident questions following the presentation and input from the meeting will be taken into account. Most were general in nature and related to things such as restoration, tree preservation, drainage, and access. Huron Street will be closed to thru-traffic but resident access will be maintained. There will be some parking interruptions and short-term driveway closures but it was stated the Village has a good notification system in place to make sure everyone knows what’s going on.

Once the project contract has been awarded, another resident construction meeting will take place. The proposed schedule has work in line to begin June and last most of the summer. The road will be tentatively open to traffic in August, to be followed by restoration work and final completion in September. All work is dependent on weather and the contractor’s schedule.