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Miller Improvement Project to include "all ages and abilities" bike lane and ADA upgrades, city engineer says
Summary
Commissioners asked about accessibility on the upcoming Miller Improvement Project; a transportation engineer said crossings will receive upgraded ramps and accessible pedestrian signals, bus stops adjacent to cycle tracks will include curb‑height loading or floating boarding islands, and AAATA will be contacted about permanent bus‑stop access.
Commissioners discussed accessibility features for the Miller Improvement Project during the March 19 Ann Arbor Commission on Disability Issues meeting, and a city transportation engineer described design details intended to serve riders and pedestrians with disabilities.
Annika Conrad raised questions about the project’s “all ages and abilities” bike lane designation and whether the Miller Improvement Project would include ADA upgrades to sidewalks and bus stops. Cynthia, identified at the meeting as the transportation engineer, clarified that “all ages and abilities” is a design term referring to bicycle facility design and that the project also includes ADA work for pedestrians.
Cynthia said the project will upgrade crosswalk ramps and add accessible pedestrian signals at two signalized intersections: Seventh Street and Miller at Maple. She described two designs for bus stops adjacent to cycle tracks: in narrow buffer areas the design will include curb‑height loading across the cycle track with tactile wayfinding; in wider buffer areas the plan uses a floating boarding island with a crosswalk to the island and tactile wayfinding. She said cycle tracks will be required to yield to pedestrians at boarding locations.
Cynthia also said sidewalk maintenance and ramp compliance are ongoing city programs funded by a sidewalk millage and that the city maintains an annual budget line for installing accessible pedestrian signals, though retrofitting some locations can require substantial physical work to provide separation between pushbuttons and opposing directions of travel.
Commissioners noted related coordination needs: Ayesha Kazi Edwin said she would contact AAATA and Matthew Carpenter to clarify permanent bus‑stop accessibility during the Miller work; Vice Chair Larry Keeler and others encouraged commission members to observe the Transportation Commission meeting for further detail. Cynthia offered to accept written questions and pass them to Public Works.
Why it matters: the Miller Improvement Project will alter cycling, pedestrian and transit facilities on a corridor used by people with a range of mobility needs. The city’s staff description confirms specific ADA elements (ramps and accessible pedestrian signals) and bus‑stop boarding treatments, but commissioners requested more detail and a follow‑up with AAATA about bus‑stop accessibility and rerouting during construction.
