Dexter Earmarks Federal Funds for Ann Arbor Road Reconstruction Project

Construction on a portion of Dexter-Ann Arbor Road from Baker Road to Kensington in the Village of Dexter is slated to begin in 2014.

The project will be partially funded through a $400,000 federal grant the village applied for and received during the 2012 fiscal year. Additional revenue will come from a 20 percent match the village will provide from its road fund.

Village President Shawn Keough said the project was chosen over other streets, including Baker Road and Central Street, to coincide with the Main Street repavement that was completed in May.

"Because we can only use the federal dollars on one project, we picked Ann Arbor Street to finish off the corridor from the Main Street Bridge to Dan Hoey Road on the eastern limits of the village," Keough said.

Village Trustee Jim Carson said he believes the project will be beneficial to both residents and comercial businesses in the community.

"If we wait four or five years to fix Ann Arbor Street, Main Street will be worn down again. This way, we can complete Ann Arbor Street and then move on to Baker and Central streets," Carson said.

Keough said the design phase of the construction is slated for 2013. Public meetings will be scheduled and information fliers will be sent out to residents affected by the construction prior to the start of the project.

"As we learned from past projects, we want to make sure all residential issues are addressed before construction," Keough said.

One way of accomplishing that, according to Carson, is to inform residents and businesses prior to the start of a project design.

"My interest is to communicate to the residents and businesses before we start a project," Carson said. "When we have a project on the radar we need to let residents know that their street is slated to be replaced in the next fiscal year, explain what is involved, and provide ample opportunity for input well before the design phase."

For questions on the Ann Arbor Road project, contact the Village of Dexter Office at 734-426-8303.