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Wyoming approves Prairie Parkway reconstruction with federal funds; council debates lane reduction
Summary
Council authorized an MDOT agreement for Prairie Parkway reconstruction, including repaving, a half-mile water-main replacement and a 10-foot non-motorized path; the project uses just under $2 million in federal funds and passed with one dissenting vote over lane reduction.
The Wyoming City Council on June 15 authorized an agreement with the Michigan Department of Transportation to reconstruct Prairie Parkway between Michael Avenue and Wentworth Avenue, approving plans that include repaving, replacement of about a half-mile of water main and construction of a 10-foot non-motorized pathway to connect Kent Trails with the city's trail system.
City staff told council the project will convert the existing four-lane roadway to one lane in each direction (with a median) "in an effort to reduce the speed that we receive complaints about," a councilmember said. Council was also told the federal contribution toward the project is "just under $2 million," which will cover roughly 25% of eligible costs; water-main replacement costs are not covered by the federal portion and will be handled separately in the agreement.
Some council members expressed concern about reducing four lanes to two. Councilmember Hill voted "No" on the Prairie Parkway motion; the measure otherwise passed on a roll-call vote. The council discussed the long-term goal of connecting Kent Trails to the city center trail and the benefits of adding a non-motorized connection as part of the reconstruction work.
Next steps: the city manager and clerk are authorized to execute the MDOT agreement; detailed engineering, procurement and staged construction scheduling will follow. The project will proceed through MDOT coordination and standard construction procurement processes.
