Zeeb Road Pathway plan hits a bump in the road at the I-94 bridge

Scio Township was hoping to fully extend the Zeeb Road Pathway from north to south across I-94, but that probably won’t happen now due to MDOT concerns.

In an update after the last township board meeting, Scio Township Supervisor Will Hathaway told the Sun Times News:

“The Township had hoped to make pedestrian safety improvements to the bridge over I-94 as part of the Zeeb Road Pathway project. A preliminary engineering study by OHM Advisors resulted in a denial from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).”

He said, “The addition of a safety barrier and/or wider sidewalk was determined to pose risks to the structural integrity of the bridge and could not be built in compliance with MDOT's standards.”

Back in November 2022, in a proposal to the township, OHM said:

“Phase 6 of the Zeeb Road Non-Motorized Shared Use Pathway planned to extend from the driveway near Metzger’s, south across the I-94 bridge, to the north side of Jackson Road. This proposal has been prepared based on discussions with the Township Staff and the Michigan Department of Transportation.”

As part of its project understanding, OHM said, “This project consists of determining the feasibility of extending the sidewalk south from Metzger’s Restaurant to Jackson Road, across the I-94 bridge. This study will evaluate the type of barrier required to meet the standards set forth in the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) as well as a conceptual horizontal and vertical alignment of the proposed sidewalk. This will require several meetings with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) as well as Township staff.”

Now shifting gears, Hathaway said the state Michigan Economic Development Corporation grant funds that Scio Township had received for these improvements could be shifted to another element of the Zeeb Road Pathway project. He said the Township Board will seek advice from the township’s Parks, Preserves, & Pathway Committee and Anna Cone, Parks, Preserves & Pathways Director, about a possible repurposing of the funds to help pay for the proposed pedestrian bridge over the Huron River that would connect the Zeeb Road Pathway to the B2B trail now under construction just south of Huron River Drive.