Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Fresh off this month's Buy Michigan Now Festival, South Lyon city officials are already looking ahead to next year's planned reconstruction of Pontiac Trail/Lafayette from Nine Mile, north past the CSX Railroad tracks.

"It's a long-term project. We know that business are going to suffer. We know that. We can't expect that nobody is going to, and walk in with those glasses on. But we have to work with them. It's going to be a long haul, and we're going to have to work with them and have regular meetings," City Manager Paul Zelenak told City Council Tuesday.

The $11 million project is currently slated to run between March and November of 2026. It is separate from one recently postponed by the Road Commission for Oakland County between 11 Mile and Silver Lake, which is now expected to begin possibly in late fall or early winter.

Zelenak insists events already on the books are "baked into" the 2026 project.

"Is it going to be perfect? Is everything going to be paved? No. Are there going to be some areas that are going to have gravel? Yes. We believe with side streets, such as Wells Street, or expanding more down 10 Mile Road or working on Liberty Street or Whipple Street, and trying to figure out what's the best way to have the events that we have," he said.

"We still believe the Farmers' Market can still occur in that parking lot, because they're not going to necessarily be working there. We'll just have to provide a different means in which people to access."

Zelenak plans to work with the city's new DDA director to spread the word as much as possible about the 2026 project and promote local businesses the best they can.

"Ladies Night out might not be on the same street it's going to be. Maybe it will be located on some of the side streets. Same with the car show. Same with the other things. It's working with each organization that is running the event, and the timing based on where they're going to be."

Zelenak stressed the project will be done in phases in different areas, not shutting down Pontiac Trail from Nine Mile to the railroad tracks at the same time.

Details of the 2026 Pontiac Trail project are linked below.