Thursday, September 8, 2022

Canton celebrates completion of road reconstruction

Area officials along with Wayne County Executive Warren Evans celebrated
the reconstruction section of a section of Canton Center Road last week.
The area between Ford and Warren roads is set to open to traffic Sept. 12.
 Photo by David Willett
Canton Township and Wayne County officials were on hand last week to ceremoniously open a reconstructed section of Canton Center Road.

The object of near constant complaints, the section of Canton Center from Ford to Warren Road has been under construction for more than four months. While officials cut an opening ribbon and spoke briefly about the importance of the project, the road is not expected to open until next week when road striping is complete. A grinding of the road surface will also be completed before it is open to traffic to ensure that the roadway is completely smooth.

“This is the first five-lane road replacement project Canton has ever done,” noted Township Supervisor Anne Marie Graham-Hudak. “The three-phase project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.”

She also emphasized the importance of the reconstruction to safety in the township noting that emergency vehicles will no longer have to attempt to drive around potholes when responding to calls for service. In addition, she said, studies show that 35,000 to 45,000 cars travel that section of road every day.

“It's an important road and that’s why it needed to be fixed as soon as possible,” she said.

“This project was a true partnership between Canton, the State of Michigan and Wayne County. By working together as a team, we were able to fix the road properly and in a timely manner,” she added.

Helping celebrate the almost-opening were Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, Wayne County Commissioner Melissa Daub, State Rep. Ranjeev Puri and State Sen. Dayna Polehanki.

Puri, who represents the 21st District in Lansing, said that before the reconstruction, the section of Canton Center Road was so treacherous and rough, his vehicle would shift into the off-road driving mode when attempting to drive that section.