Dear Mound Road community,
I hope that you are all well even as our community faces these challenging circumstances. We have received questions regarding Innovate Mound and the project’s status, considering COVID-19 and Executive Order 2020-21, “Stay Home, Stay Safe” issued by Governor Whitmer.
Our primary concern is the safety of the public, our employees, contractors, consultants and their employees. We assessed whether every person working on the project could be appropriately protected by social distancing and the universal precautions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as they relate to COVID-19.
We determined that work could continue on required pre-construction work while adhering to these safety measures. This includes environmental analysis, traffic operations, access management, engineering, project delivery, emerging mobility and non-motorized planning. Our goal is to work safely to maintain the current schedule and begin construction in summer 2021 as planned.
We are also committed to maintaining public engagement. Our team is reaching out to continue meetings with key stakeholder groups using virtual technology and keeping everyone informed using the project’s email newsletter, website, social media and U.S. mail. All electronic meetings will be conducted in accordance with the Governor’s Executive Order 2020-15 providing temporary authorization of remote participation in public meetings.
The purpose of Innovate Mound is to create a safe, 21st century, user-friendly, corridor for motorized vehicles, bikes and pedestrians that incorporates state-of-the-art design and smart technology. We look forward to working together with you to realize our goals.
I invite you to reach out to our team at any time with your ideas, questions, comments or concerns. Contact us through the project website, innovatemound.org or through our 24-hour phone line, 1-855-MOUND-4U (668-6348). You can also contact Nate Ford, director of public engagement, directly at 313-319-4468.
Please be safe and encourage everyone to practice the recommendations issued by the CDC to protect yourself and slow the spread of COVID-19.
Thank you for your support,
Bryan E. Santo, P.E.
Director, Macomb County Department of Roads