Part of Woodward Ave to be permanently narrowed to 3 lanes; closures start Monday, Oct. 17
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FERNDALE, Mich. (FOX 2) - It's here. The narrowing of Woodward Avenue in Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge is starting on Monday, Oct. 17 and will include a permanent change to one of the most famous road's in the state.
Road work starts on Monday for the section of Woodward between 8 Mile and I-696 and will include resurfacing, curb improvements and adding bike lanes. But the biggest change will be the removal of a lane from each side of Woodward.
At a cost of $9 million, the work will be done in two phases with the majority happening in 2023.
Among the more dramatic changes coming is the reduction of a lane in each direction. The city councils of both Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge approved the road work, which will replace the lanes with bike lanes for cyclists to use.
The road work is being funded by $5.6 million from MDOT for resurfacing and $2 million in grants. The cities of Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge are contributing about $1.3 million.
The move is meant to accommodate more alternative means of transportation like bikes and scooters since fewer cars drive on Woodward.
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Another big change coming is improvements to intersections. The new design will shift the crosswalk back from the road, allowing cars to pull past the crosswalk and not obstruct pedestrians while trying to turn onto Woodward.
Several streets that exit onto Woodward can be difficult to turn from because parked cars, trees, and other obstacles obstruct the vision of the driver.
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Ferndale says the work will create 15 feet of space for walkers and cyclists without turning cars getting in the way.
"We really do need to offer a safer environment to people who live in Ferndale, and who life coming to our walkable city," Ferndale Mayor Melanie Piana told FOX 2 in January.
The other changes coming to the road include increasing access to curb ramps.
MDOT had already planned on redoing Woodward when the cities proposed some of their own improvements. The spring work will go from April to September 2023.