Dearborn Installs New Street Lights on Ford Road
A worker installs one of the new decorative lamps along Ford Road.
In an effort to add curb appeal as well as light to the area, the City of Dearborn is installing 137 streets lights along Ford Road between Miller Road and Mercury Drive.
The Michigan Department of Transportation agreed to pay to replace the street lights that were removed during the Ford Road street work with standard street lights, but the City stepped in to add funds to allow for more attractive street lights, the city said Monday in a press releases.
The lights to be installed along Ford Road will have decorative polls and luminaries similar to those currently on Michigan Avenue.
The work is scheduled first for the westbound side of Ford Road at Miller and will head in the direction of Mercury. When that side is done, the work will head back on the eastbound side from Mercury.
“By making the area more attractive visually, we continue our constant efforts to keep Dearborn a desirable place to visit, live and do business,” said Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
“By making the area more attractive visually, we continue our constant efforts to keep Dearborn a desirable place to visit, live and do business,” said Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr.
We need some of that thinking along Michigan Avenue, IMHO.
February 10th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Dave,
Downtown east Dearborn already has historic lights installed, so I assume you’re referring to downtown west Dearborn, which I agree with.
February 11th, 2010 at 7:15 pm
If the city would only wake up, repave Michigan Ave, and re-do the sidewalks, the city would boom with new businesses. How about a visit to Down town Rochester mayor? Check out how nice their streets are.
February 12th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Alonzo – I may be wrong but, I think, that Michigan Ave is a state highway. Michigan is in control of when the street gets paved.
West Dearborn, unfortunately, will never boom because of the high rents charged by the few landlords that own that part of the city. All they care about is using their properties as tax losses and collecting rents for the few business that can still pay their rates.
February 17th, 2010 at 1:34 am
Dave, I agree completely. Ford Rd. seems like a ridiculous place to do this. You can’t really make an 8 lane divided high speed highway attractive with some nice street lights.
Cloe is right, Michigan is state controlled and it will take more than a better Michigan Ave. to bring back the area. However, it wouldn’t hurt for the city to really push the Michigan Ave. issue more than they are.
February 20th, 2010 at 11:11 pm
I live near Ford Rd. and Schaefer Rd. and I can’t believe I’ve had to wait over 27 months after the Ford Rd. reconstruction was completed to get new street lights. Even the botched Warren Ave project had beautiful street lights installed as the project was belatedly wrapping up. By the way, the Ford Rd. light poles aren’t decorative-they’re the same plain poles that were installed in the early 70′s when Ford Rd. was widened. I’m really concerned that these new lights will provide woefully insufficient illumination just like the dim blue lighting that was originally installed in 1972. The pole bases put in this month are too far apart.The same lights were installed on Michigan Ave. a few years ago and they wisely put an extra light pole in between each pole at the same distance it would be on Frod Rd. IN other words, about one-third more lights than Ford Rd. will have.I guess we’ll have a dimly lit street for another 35 years.If you want to see what Ford Rd. in east Dearborn should look like, just take Ford Rd. west to Evergreen Rd.Those orange sodium vapor lights are what we need east of Mercury Dr. What incompetent is responsible for choosing 137 lights for Ford Rd. when we need twice as many? Also, why are no lights being installed east of MIller Rd.? The eastbound side of Ford Rd. is almost completely dark and bright lights are needed for traffic coming off I-94. When will new lights go on this half-mile stretch? Never, I guess. Finally, can we please change the light bulbs in the large light trees and the Ford Rd.-Southfield Fwy. interchange? Most of the lights at this very busy interchange have been out for years!