Genoa Township has been awarded grant funding for Grand River pathway enhancements.

A total of 19 projects were awarded more than $10 (m) million through M-DOT’s Transportation Alternative Program or TAP grant program, which is administered by the Southeast Michigan Council of Government or SEMCOG. Genoa Township will receive $201,242 to complete the final phase of a sidewalk project. The total project cost is $336,000 so the township match is around $135,000 and work would take place during the next year’s construction season. The project involves the last section of sidewalk needed to form a continuous path on Grand River from roughly Lynch Carpet to Hughes Road - a project the municipality has been doing in phases for the past several years. More recently township board member Terry Croft, who serves on SEMCOG’s Executive Committee, has been working hard to help make a grant application for the sidewalk project along Grand River.

Township Manager Mike Archinal says they started putting sidewalk on Grand River about 12 or 15 years ago to connect to the sidewalk developers were required to put in as part of site plans. Genoa Township runs from the viaduct near Burger King with the City of Howell up to Hacker Road, where it intersects with Brighton Township. The upcoming project will mark Phase 7 and Archinal says when it’s complete, they’ll have continuous sidewalk on at least one side of Grand River, with an improved pedestrian crossing by 2/42 Church and St. Joseph Mercy Livingston so people don’t have to be in the street walking or riding bikes. A section of sidewalk from Kellogg to Hughes Roads was completed recently. Archinal says it was a really tough section to do, which is why they saved it for next to last since an aluminum decking structure had to go in over wetlands. He says they’ll continue west next year from Hughes Road up to the Fillmore County Park by Lynch Carpet. An improved pedestrian crossing will be going in soon on Grand River at Hughes Road by Wilson Marine. Archinal says there will be a hand activated crossing for stop and go because it’s a pretty busy intersection. He says all permits in place, it’s budgeted and they have an agreement with the Livingston County Road Commission to split the cost, adding both the commission and M-DOT have been very helpful in getting the project done. It’s been a lot of work and Archinal says they’ve had a great contractor and engineers who have worked hard to get everything done so it’s very rewarding to see it come together and they’re excited to get this last phase complete. Archinal feels it’s something the community needs, especially with a road like Grand River with a lot of traffic and housing. He says the board has been very supportive over the years in moving forward so it will be exciting to see the last section of sidewalk go in. Archinal says the pathway gives people the opportunity to perhaps avoid jumping in the car and that’s the best part – seeing people jogging or a family pushing a stroller on something they built.

Meanwhile another area project awarded TAP grant project funding from SEMCOG was the City of Dexter, which was awarded $313,693 for phase II of the Mill Creek Trail. (JM)