11 Mile Road Construction Project Officially Begins in Royal Oak

The construction project that will change the streetscape of 11 Mile Road officially began Monday morning in Royal Oak.

The $1.9 million makeover, which is expected to be completed in the fall, will tear up and build anew 11 Mile's sidewalks from Troy Street to Campbell Road. The project will add new ornamental streetlights, wider sidewalks, and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramps. Water mains will be replaced where needed, and curbs and gutters will be installed to correct long-standing drainage problems.

"We're widening 11 Mile where we can by 3 feet," said Interim City Engineer Matt Callahan.

The lanes will remain the same size, but new 18-inch concrete curbs and gutters will be added to each side of the road. The gutter pan will be sloped to allow the road to drain better and prevent water from pooling, Callahan said.

The one mile stretch of road will also shift to the north during construction. There is currently 12 feet of sidewalk easement on the north side of 11 Mile; the south side has only 6 feet. 

"We're evening it out to get 9-feet on both sides," Callahan said. New sidewalks will have a decorative Cincinnati finish, which is a heavy broom finish with 4-inch wide smooth troweled edges similar to sidewalks in the Central Business District. Any landscaped areas that currently exist will be eliminated.

"The vast majority of businesses along 11 Mile don't take care of the grass," Callahan said, so the decision was made to pave the entire easement. Down the road, planter boxes, bike racks and trash cans can be added to improve the overall look of the sidewalks, he said.

At this point in time, minimal work will be performed on the street itself. In a couple of years, the county-owned road is scheduled to be resurfaced, according to Callahan. 

Mixed reaction

During the construction, all 11 Mile Road businesses are open for business.

“If you drive down 11 Mile road today, you’ll see that we have some problems with blight. This streetscape project is going to make the area look and function much better, and will also update the infrastructure,” said Jason Krieger in a press release. Krieger is a member of 11 Mile Has It All, the Downtown Development Authority and the owner of Krieger | Klatt Architects, located at 1412 E. 11 Mile Rd.

Terry Schaefer has a very different opinion.

Schaefer, who owns an auto repair shop at 723 E.11 Mile Rd., has a tree in front of his business that he planted to make the area look better. He wants to keep the tree but was told he can't.

"It would go a long ways to give us some choices," Schaefer said.

He also opposes the funding for the project, which will come primarily from federal Community Development Block Grant funds, which is a program run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Other parts of the project will be paid for by the Water and Sewer Funds, and the Major Street Fund, according to a City of Royal Oak press release.

"They act as if we should be happy that this project is not costing business owners anything," Schaefer said. "Someone punched me in the stomach once for free and I didn't like it."

Schaeffer added, due to the age of the road, he believes the project will run into unanticipated problems.  

"I am afraid the project will run out of money," he said.

Deanna Nicholas, owner of Edgemont Creative, also has some concerns about the project.

"We were told the city will find it necessary to shut off our water supply during the construction," Nicholas said. That poses a problem for her business, salons and 11 Mile's many restaurants, she said.

Callahan said businesses will get a notice when the water service will be disrupted. 

"We try not to shut off water for more than 4 hours, but we can't promise it," he said, indicating the contractors occasionally run into unforeseen problems.

Callahan hopes residents and business owners will be patient during construction, adding the city hopes the improvements will make "the area ripe for development."

Follow Royal Oak Patch on Facebook; we'll be keeping you posted throughout the project.