"Streetscaping" is the project du jour for improving downtowns in Metro Detroit, so it's no wonder downtown Belleville is jumping on the bandwagon with its own plans.
Belleville's Downtown Development Authority plans to tear up its Main Street this summer and replace everything with new infrastructure. Goodbye old pavement, curbs, sidewalks, sewers and lights. Hello new water mains, concrete street, brick paver sidewalks, trees, decorative lighting and fancy fencing.
The $5.8 million project will encompass Main between Huron River Drive and lake bridge, along with South Street up until the railroad tracks. All in all, seven city blocks will receive an extreme street makeover, giving the old corridor a much needed face lift.
"It's been in bad shape for quite a few years and needs to be replaced," says Carol Thompson, administrator for the Belleville DDA. "Main Street needs to be a better road."
The project is set to go out to bid in March, start construction in May and finish late this fall. Thompson says city officials are working with the Belleville Chamber of Commerce and local businesses to help keep downtown businesses afloat during the construction.
Source: Carol Thompson, administrator for the Belleville Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Jon Zemke
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