Wayne County has broken ground on a project that’s supposed to reduce train delays in the Downriver area. 

The plan is to separate the railroad tracks from a section of Allen Rd. in Woodhaven. Crews will lower the road so that it runs underneath the tracks.

It’s a public safety issue

County Public Services Director Dayo Akinyemi says when it’s finished, trains will no longer delay traffic on Allen Rd. north of Van Horn Rd. He says it’s common for ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars to get stuck while responding to emergencies.

“This will make that problem go away,” he says. “Anybody that lives Downriver will know that this is a problem we’ve been trying to solve for a long time.”

Wayne County announced the grade separation project in 2020. Akinyemi’s predecessor, Beverly Watts, said at the time she hoped to finish it within two or three years.  

But in 2022, Watts estimated the job would cost about $28 million dollars. Rising expenses delayed the project and raised the price tag to $65 million. 

So, Akinyemi says county, state, and local officials worked together to come up with the money.

“There are several sources of funds that’s cobbled together to get us to where we are today,” he says. “There’s money in the state transportation department, some earmarks from the federal government, earmarks from the state Legislature.”

Another challenge was acquiring right-of-way to relocate utilities such as power lines, fiber-optic cables, and water mains.

How long will it take?

“We’ve started the relocation of the Verizon lines,” he says. “Once we finish that, DTE gas will come to relocate their own line.”

And Akinyemi says by fall, people will see a lot more activity in the area. 

“Next year, we’ll begin the real construction,” he says. “There will be a period of time when there will be a full closure and a diversion of traffic.”

More: MDOT aims to end Fort Street train delays Downriver

Akinyemi estimates it will take up to three years to finish the project. During that period, the Michigan Department of Transportation expects to begin work on a similar project on Fort St. north of Van Horn Rd. in Trenton. 

WDET 101.9 FM, Detroit’s nonprofit radio station, was named Public Radio Station of the Year during the Michigan Association of Broadcasters (MAB) Broadcast Excellence Awards ceremony held Saturday at MotorCity Casino’s Sound Board Theater.

WDET won several categories of awards including Station Excellence and Community Station of the Year and was awarded Station of the Year for the third time in the past four years within the Public Radio Group 2 category.

“It’s an honor to be a part of the MAB and the prestigious network of Michigan public media broadcasters,” said WDET General Manager Mary Zatina. “This year’s award recognition means even more to us given we were celebrating 75 years as Detroit’s Public Radio station and made significant schedule and programming changes based on listener and member data and their requests for what they wanted from us as we move into the future.”

Honors all around WDET

The MAB also honored WDET with nine additional awards, including the Station Excellence award for its 75th-year accomplishments submission, “best ofs” and “merits.”

“WDET has been telling Detroit’s most important stories since 1949, so it’s especially meaningful to be honored by MAB during this anniversary year,” said WDET Program Manager Adam Fox. “These awards recognize our excellence in news, music, and current affairs — and our ongoing commitment to serving Detroit with more local programming, and hosts who reflect and celebrate our community.”

• Station Excellence – Public Radio Group 2 (Large market category): “Bold Moves – 75 Years of Detroit Radio”, WDET Staff
• Best Membership Appeal: “WDET Farms”, WDET Production Staff
• Best Community Involvement: “MichMash Live”, Hernz Laguerre, Cheyna Roth, Zach Gorchow, Alethia Kasben
• Best Newscast: “WDET News 5:04 a.m. July 22, 2024”, Pat Batcheller
• Best Musical Programming: “In The Groove – Jack White World Premiere”, Ryan Patrick Hooper
• Merit Feature/Use of Medium: “Detroit Students Follow the Path of the Buffalo Soldiers in Yosemite”, Sascha Raiyn
• Merit Special Interest & Cultural Programming: “MichMash – Mackanac“, Cheyna Roth, Alethia Kasben, Hernz Laguerre
• Merit Musical Programming: “Modern Music Holiday Special”, Jon Moshier
• Merit Use of Multiplatform Media Promotional/Membership Materials: “Jack White Surprise Album Reveals Promotional Materials”, Ryan Patrick Hooper, Jenny Sherman, Dave Kim