Chelsea City Council approved a contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) at the March 23 meeting for pedestrian signage on M-52. Signs will be placed at the Dewey St. and Van Buren St. intersections.
“There’s always been a lot of controversy surrounding the crosswalk at Dewey Street and M-52 and now, with the addition of Main Street Park to try and push forward, we keep pushing on MDOT to try and allow us to do something with these crosswalks,” Utilities Director Derik Bollinger said.
While, according to Bollinger, Chelsea does not currently meet the pedestrian threshold to install formal crosswalks with lights at these locations, MDOT does allow “gateway treatment.” In this case, the term allows for signs that require cars to stop for pedestrians.
“This really is pretty straightforward, and the kind of the way we look at it is this might help segue into maybe a little bit, little bit more elaborate measures,” Bollinger said.
Both cost of installation and maintenance will fall on the city rather than the state. According to City Manager Elle Cole, city staff is set to meet with MDOT again to discuss further.
Approval of the contract was passed unanimously.
8123 Main St Suite 200 Dexter, MI 48130
