Board approves MDOT contract for Broughton
Trustees also pay more for traffic study
Broughton Road concerns took center stage at the Macomb Township Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 28, as the board approved an state contract regarding the road as well as authorizing more funding for a traffic study.
The board voted unanimously to approve a request to amend the Broughton Road corridor traffic study and conceptual visualization project in the amount of $100,500, which was awarded to OHM. Trustee Charles Oliver was absent.
“As you probably recall this has been in front of you a few times already. We had an original scope as part of a grant that we received from SEMCOG (Southeast Michigan Council of Governments). After further discussion with the county they added a number of traffic study tasks and we came back in front of the board and had it approved at a different amount,” Josh Bocks, township planning director, said. “After that the county did add on a few more traffic study related tasks, mostly dealing with traffic modeling for future scenarios. Therefore we are asking for an amendment to that, and again, the total amount would be $100,500, of which $23,750 is covered by the SEMCOG grant. Therefore that would leave the township’s portion is as $76,750.”
In a memo to the board dated Feb. 21, Bocks wrote the study will include roadway layout, conceptual drawings and a 3D rendering of the future corridor.
“I know at the last time we approved this agreement we believed it was going to be the final amount,” Supervisor Frank Viviano said. “The reality is the county is really in control. They are the ones that have to approve the results of this study. And if we
get through a portion of or all of the study and they require additional information, we will then have to go and do that, complete those additional steps, whatever they require of us, in order to get approval for the ultimate Broughton Road alignment and design that we intend to put in.”
Bocks confirmed the roadway is the county’s jurisdiction, and that the township needs their support in order
to do the project. He said that some of the county’s requested tasks at this time have to do with traffic studies as well as studies on parallel corridors and how they might be impacted.
Trustee Frank Cusumano requested an amendment to the motion, proposing that the supervisor’s office negotiate a cost cap with the county for the total amount of the project. Viviano said that this would not be possible as the township would be capping itself and not the county.
“I mean that, it’s up to us to do the study. So we are the ones going to spend the money to, they are requiring information. The study gets them the information,” Viviano said.
Cusumano asked if the township could request from the county a cap on additional requirements for the project. Viviano and Treasurer Leon Drolet said they did not see how that would be possible. Land Development Director James Van Tiflin explained attempts to cap the project would likely lead to project rejection by the county.
“I think if we put a cap on it, ultimately what they would say is we don’t have enough information to make a decision, so our answer is no,” Van Tiflin said. “So we would essentially be capping ourselves at that number and then they, they still may say, we need more information and if we don’t provide it then they don’t give us what we ultimately want.”
Cusumano said that he would like to see a punch list of requirements, as he was concerned that otherwise there could be an unending requirement cycle. Viviano said that this was a fair concern, but that the county may find the study alerts them to things that they want more information about. Van Tiflin confirmed this is possible.
“I think we are going to have to decide on a case-bycase basis if they are asking for too much,” Viviano said.
Viviano also said he, Van Tiflin, Bocks and Drolet have been in constant contact with the county regarding the Broughton Road project, and the county has been supportive of it.
“They do have strong concerns about parts of it, but we have gotten their agreement that they are going to do what they can to help us push this thing forward,” Viviano said. “So right now everybody is working in good faith together. I don’t have any reason to believe they are going to push us to do anything that is unnecessary. And if it gets to that point, I rely on Jim’s (Van Tiflin) advice as well as our own engineering consulting firm. If they have gone too far, you know, I’ll bring that back to the board and we can discuss killing the project.”
Van Tiflin explained that with this project, the township is asking for something different than what the county normally approves.
“A two-lane road vs. a boulevard that is in a downtown area, they are completely different roads. You know Garfield, you know, 55 miles an hour is a two-lane asphalt road. We are asking for what is essentially, what you would find in a small town where you might have a 25 mile an hour, or a 30 mile an hour speed limit on a boulevard section with parking on either side of it,” Van Tiflin said.
He explained that these types of things are usually found in cities or villages where the city or village controls their own roads, so the county does not normally have to approve projects like this.
“We are a township, we don’t control our roads, but we want something that you might see in a city. So that’s a lot of what we are paying for is the analysis that goes in to, how can we calm traffic enough that we can lower the speed limits and make the county feel comfortable, but then get the aesthetic that we want for our, our downtown,” Van Tiflin said.
Viviano said that the intention of the project is to build something unique in Macomb County.
“So we are pushing them out of their comfort zone and they are being extra cautious in the information that they require to make sure that we are not, I guess, infringing or impairing the traffic flow which is their main concern,” Viviano said.
Cusumano withdrew his amendment to the motion, and said he would rely on the expertise of the supervisor and professional staff to ensure that no excessive costs were incurred.
The board additionally approved another matter relating to the Broughton Road project on Feb. 28. They adopted a resolution to approve a contract with Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) regarding Broughton Road expansion between 24 Mile and 25 Mile Road. The board also authorized the supervisor to sign the contract.
“This is the $5 million that (State) Sen. (Veronica) Klinefelt lobbied for us to receive, and to help us with the project we were discussing with the engineering study,” Viviano said.
In a memo to the board dated Feb. 26, Viviano wrote the township was awarded legislative earmark funds for the Broughton Road expansion, between 24 Mile Road and 25 Mile Road. He wrote that for the township to receive the $5 million in earmark funding, a resolution was necessary for the contract, as well as board authorization for the supervisor to sign the contract. These items needed to be completed and submitted before June 1, 2024, Viviano wrote. The contract indicates that the earmark is to be expended on approved projects, and MDOT is responsible for administering the funds. It further indicates that all funds shall be expended by Sept. 30, 2028, with any unspent funds returned to the state treasury at that time. However the contract also lists that an extension may be granted by the state budget office.