Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com

The Brighton City Council Thursday night approved a pedestrian pathway for the future I-96/Grand River interchange reconstruction project. The Michigan Department of Transportation plans on a 3-year project to reconstruct the busy interchange, starting in the fall of 2024 and concluding in 2026.

Due to heavy commuter traffic, the off-ramp from I-96 onto Grand River often backs up all the way to the westbound lanes of the freeway during afternoon rush hour periods.There has also been considerable deterioration of the overpass and the on-and-off-ramps during the last several years. The massive project will involve a new bridge on I-96 over Grand River and new on-and-off ramps as well as pedestrian pathways for both bicyclists and walkers.

The project has a hefty, $35 million price tag, all paid for by the state and federal governments. MDOT originally had asked the city to participate in the project by paying for the pedestrian pathway between Hilton Road and Nemco Way, and costing from $100,000 to $150,000. However, when the city hesitated on absorbing the hefty local cost, MDOT went further into its deep pockets and decided it would pay for virtually the whole project, including the pathway.

The motion, introduced by Council Member Paul Gipson, is to, quote, “proceed with this dual pathway design and construction, including an additional $10,000 stretch with the city of Brighton.” The motion passed unanimously on a 6-0 vote, with one member absent. But instead of just one pedestrian pathway, the project will now include two — one on each side of Grand River.

In order for the state to pay for the entire project, the city must agree to pay for any future upkeep of the pathway, which council indicated Thursday night that the city will do. The city will also pay up to $10,000 for a small connecting path on the west side of Grand River by the Triple-A building — an aspect that was included in the successful motion.

Council Members Renee Pettengill and Susan Gardner thanked MDOT for is willingness to consider the city’s budget restrictions in agreeing to pay for the pedestrian pathway and to city staff for continuing to work with MDOT through the long process while gathering more information.

Gardner also thanked the biking community for showing its support by coming to the several meetings in which the project and the plan to include a pedestrian pathway were discussed.

As Mayor Kris Tobbe put it, in expressing thanks to MDOT and the other principals involved, “This is a great example of something that took us a little bit of time, but in my opinion, I think we did it right.”