Clark Street redesign project in Saline is getting underway

The Clark Street Reconstruction project is expected to begin next week.

The city of Saline announced the start date for this project has been moved forward to begin during the week of May 8. The city’s DPW Director and Engineer hosted a meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. on May 4 to answer questions about the project.

The Sun Times News connected with City Manager Colleen O’Toole about the project.

“Since this is expected to be a relatively simple project, the contractor was able to accelerate the timeline to start the job before they get into bigger projects later in the season,” O’Toole said of the time change. “This helps us because it reduces the need to coordinate this project with components of the Maple Road project occurring in that area around mid-July. There is expected to be less overlap now which will be much less disruptive to residents in the area.”

Described as a major collector street between N. Harris and N. Maple, Clark Street will see its reconstruction, including a new curb and stormwater inlet structure, along the entire 0.3 mile length of the street. The city of Saline said access will be maintained for Clark Street residents throughout the project.

As some additional background on the project, the city of Saline said the City qualified for federal aid through Washtenaw Area Transportation System (WATS) and design was initiated in winter 2022. During design, city officials said geotechnical information was obtained that indicated the life of the street would be extended if the scope of the project was changed from a rehabilitation project to a complete road redesign.

The project could be completed by the end of August, but the city said it’s also likely that it may end sooner.