ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – State Street’s commercial district has reopened to traffic after two spring and summer construction seasons.
The work began in the spring of 2022 on the redesign, which revived the thoroughfare and transformed it into the city’s first curbless street.
Officials with the Downtown Development Authority said the goal of the new design is to make the area more accessible for pedestrians and those in wheelchairs.
It will also make outdoor events like the Ann Arbor Art Fair and outdoor dining more seamless.
Business owners and workers said they are glad the work is finally done.
“The parking, the ease in and out of the store, anywhere on the streets, it was just a mess,” said Deb Kaminski, an employee at eyeglass shop See. “People would rather not come down. They didn’t want to park in parking structures because it was too far, especially for the older people. It wasn’t easy for anybody to come in.”
“It was difficult,” said Ed Davidson, the founder of Bivouac. “But it’s worth it. It’s important for the whole city to keep the downtown vibrant.”
Davidson said he thinks the new streetscape also benefits the University of Michigan, which borders the State Street commercial district.
In a joint project by the city of Ann Arbor and the DDA, planners gathered input from individuals with vision disabilities to inform the project’s design.
A “detectable edge” is found where the street meets the sidewalk, and accessible pedestrian signals tell people which street they are crossing.
“It looks great without the curbs,” said U-M Ph.D. student Shan Randhawa. “It’s more accessible, and there is more room for walking now.”
“I really like the new design because it’s a lot more walkable,” said U-M student Natalie Ballard. “It’s just more pedestrian-friendly, so I like it a lot.”
Davidson said the new flower beds are a nice touch and add color to an otherwise grey city street.
The streetscape also features an expansion of Ann Arbor’s protected bike lane network and an all-walk phase at the State and North University intersection.
It reopened just in time for students and their families to return to U-M’s campus ahead of Move-In Week.
