Innovate Mound Newsletter – March 2020
The Innovate Mound newsletter is designed to keep you informed about the Innovate Mound project as it moves forward. Located in the cities of Warren and Sterling Heights, Macomb County, the project will reconstruct approximately nine miles of Mound Road between 11 Mile Road and M-59. We invite you to share this information with your friends, neighbors, employees, and 08constituents. We’d also like to hear from you—please contact us with your thoughts, ideas, questions, and concerns.
Innovate Mound 101 Event
Thank you to everyone who attended the first public open house.
We had nearly 200 hundred attendees who shared important feedback about the challenges of traveling on Mound Road and learned more about the upcoming project. If you would like to view any of the materials from the presentation, you can download them on the Innovate Mound website.
If your organization is interested in speaking with someone from our team or would like to schedule a presentation about the Innovate Mound corridor, please email us at info@innovatemound.org or call 855-MOUND-4U (668-6348).
“Thank you for being part of the single largest road project in Macomb County’s history. It’s been 200 years since the county was founded and this is the most comprehensive, complex, and transformational road project we’ve ever been a part of. We’re going to build one of the most forward-thinking roadways in the county’s history.We have one of the most comprehensive teams for this project that we’ve ever put together. They will not only be responsive to any of the questions that you may have throughout this entire process but also provide us with a roadway that will meet the needs of residents and businesses that choose to make Macomb their home.”
–John Paul Rea, Deputy County Executive, Macomb County
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have a question about this project that you’d like to ask the project team? Email us today.
Q: Will the current traffic studies being completed address the needs regarding turn-arounds?
A: The Traffic Impact study is investigating all traffic issues in the project area, including the turn-arounds.
Q: Will the weight restrictions change?
A: That is being addressed during this pre-planning and engineering phase as the project team investigates new types of construction materials and the needs of businesses on the Mound Road corridor project.
Q: How is this project addressing non-motorized vehicle travel on Mound Road?
A: This article from Detroit Driven goes into detail on how this project will transform Mound Road into a cutting-edge multimodal corridor offering improved experiences for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. This pre-planning phase is also addressing transit needs for now and the future.
Q: What about the infrastructure and drains along the road in the project area?
A: Studies are being done in this pre-planning phase to assess the infrastructure needs in the project area so they can be addressed during the construction phase if necessary.
Meet the Team
Project Planning with John Crumm
When we launched the initiative to transform Mound Road in 2017, we were hopeful that our collaboration with community partners, businesses, and stakeholders would lead to a federal INFRA (Infrastructure For Rebuilding America) grant award. The grant, which we received in 2018, was a recognition of the importance of the Mound Road corridor to manufacturing in the state of Michigan and the country. Over the past 10 years that I have served as Director of Planning for the Macomb County Department of Roads, I can’t remember an INFRA grant that has been awarded to a local municipality. So, this is a very exciting project in a variety of ways.
My role on the Innovate Mound corridor project is to oversee the project details and funding for the grant. I also coordinate between the different Macomb County departments and HNTB, the project management company hired to manage the project.
I think the most important part of the planning process is receiving as much public input as possible in the pre-construction phase and educating the community on what’s coming in the construction phase. Those that we have already met with are supportive but are also concerned about the day-to-day operations of their organization. During construction, we want to prevent downtime for the businesses on Mound Road so their participation in the planning process is important and has been instrumental.
A successful planning process also prevents potential negative effects on the wetlands and habitats near the road. We will also take a look at all the utilities and make sure there will be no impact on businesses or residents when we start road development. All of the research, public feedback, and assessments will be compiled into a summary report with recommendations that can be incorporated into the road design. Input from area residents is equally important so that we can develop ideas for minimizing construction impacts to them as much as we can.
When we finish this project in 2024, Mound Road will be prepared for new smart driving technologies and many more decades of service to our community. We will enter a new era, where Mound Road will influence the economic health of our region, state, and country in a positive way.
If you haven’t reached out to the project team to learn more or attended one of the past events, I’d encourage to you contact us and let your voice be heard in this important planning phase.