Temporary Closure of Border-to-Border (B2B) Trail Begins Wednesday, July 5

[Bob Krzewinski]

From the City of Ann Arbor…. 
 
ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 28, 2017 — The Gallup Park Pathway portion of the
Border-to-Border (B2B) Trail, from the Geddes Dam at the east end of the
park to the parking lot east of Huron Parkway, was replaced in 2016 to
repair the condition of the asphalt. Additionally, it was widened to 10
feet to improve safety and to accommodate the diverse user groups that
ride, walk, rollerblade and commute along this trail.
 
While the path currently appears to be in good condition, the asphalt mix
the contractor used unfortunately did not meet Michigan Department of
Transportation (MDOT) specifications, the city later discovered.
 
The city contracted with a company to perform material testing to determine
whether the material used was consistent with industry practices and
adheres to MDOT specifications. The testing results showed that the asphalt
mix the contractor used did not meet MDOT specifications. In order not to
jeopardize the grant funding, MDOT recommended that the contractor replace
the path using the asphalt mix in the specifications. As the contractor was
at fault, costs for this additional work will be fully funded by the
construction company.
 
While the temporary closure is an inconvenience to users, the replacement
of the path with the specified asphalt mix will provide longer-term
durability and is the most responsible use of public funding. Signs and
barricades will be installed to safely direct users away from the
construction zone. Work is scheduled to start on Wednesday, July 5 and take
approximately two to three weeks to complete.

Because the section of the B2B trail will be closed for the duration of the
project, commuters must seek alternate routes. Signage will be placed in
key locations along the trail to notify users of the upcoming closure and
the need to seek alternate routes for approximately two to three weeks.
After the path is repaved and the vegetation restored, the silt fence (the
black plastic material) lining the path will be removed.
 
For those relying on this section of the trail to commute from Ypsilanti,
the suggested alternate route is to continue north on Dixboro, west on
Geddes, north on Earhart and west on Glacier Way. Please see the bike map
at www.a2gov.org/bike to view this route or to determine other alternate routes.
 
If you have any questions, please contact Landscape Architect Amy Kuras at
aku...@a2gov.org or Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation
Manager Colin Smith at csm...@a2gov.org. Thank you for your patience.