Dexter Township's Local Roads Committee wants to hear from residents

Since its creation, the Local Roads Committee in Dexter Township has stayed focused on taking the concerns of residents about local roads and making sure they are heard, especially by those who can make a difference.

This was evident recently when the Local Roads Committee (LRC) members hosted a table at the Aug. 19 movie night to collect feedback from residents on local roads and intersections.

In its report last month to the township board, the LRC said it “will be using this feedback to consider its budget request to the Board of Trustees for FY25.”

“Our budget request may include funding for committee outreach, and also funding for increased road maintenance, such as more frequent mowing, brush-cutting, tree trimming, and dust control at key intersections and for local connector roads generally,” the LRC said in its report. “One of the pillars of the Master Plan is ‘Control Our Traffic.’ With this in mind, the LRC plans to provide a draft of its memo to the Planning Commission. PC members will be invited to contribute information and requests to the memo. Our hope is that the memo could come jointly from the LRC and the Planning Commission to increase its impact. The LRC members are reviewing the Master Plan this month because of the ‘Control Our Traffic’ pillar.”

The Sun Times News followed up with township supervisor Karen Sikkenga, who is co-chair of the LRC, about this. STN asked Sikkenga about what are some of the concerns and feedback being given by residents.

Sikkenga said by email: “The Local Roads Committee has received several emails from residents with comments and concerns about our roads. Emerging themes appear to be: (1) impacts of primary road closures on proximal local roads; (2) requests for clear communications about road construction; and (3) suggestions for minor improvements such as new signs or tree trimming. The Board of Trustees has invested significantly in local road repairs over the past couple years and feedback from the public has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Looking forward, Sikkenga said, “Coming up, the Local Roads Committee has two priorities. One is to provide feedback to the Planning Commission and Board of Trustees on the draft master plan. This is important because one of the pillars of the plan is to manage traffic. Second, we will be providing a letter to the Washtenaw County Road Commission on any issues or concerns with our roadways, along with suggestions for mitigation. For example, we have visited several intersections to assess whether tree trimming or added signage might improve sight distances.”

The LRC has established a new email group for members of the public to contact them about local roads: localroadscommittee@dextertownship.org.