WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP SIDEWALK LOCATION RECOMMENDATIONS

Washington Township is a growing and thriving community. With that comes more homes,
businesses, and traffic and therefore the need for sidewalks. Sidewalks not only offer
safety for pedestrian circulation, but also for surrounding properties and vehicles. At a
very direct level, you as students attending Romeo High School relocated outside a direct
downtown have been affected. “ As one drafting student said, “ I live only a mile away
from school, but my parents won’t let me ride my bike because there aren’t any
sidewalks.” *10% more students drive to new RHS vs old RHS. However, the reasoning
is unknown.

Washington Township has a newly revived sidewalk planning committee that meets the first Monday of every
month. They are asking for your input because you are residents in the community, local high school students,
and have an interest in architecture and the built environment. See the video request from Washington
Township Trustee, Mrs. Cindy Olsen.

This involvement will give you the opportunity to voice your educated opinion and gain insight into how work is
done on a public level.

Reference Materials:
1. Washington Township Planning and Zoning- Website
2. Washington Township Zoning Map
3. Washington Township Accident Locations Map
4. Washington Township “Thoroughfare Analysis”
5. Washington Township Sidewalk “Gap Plan Aerial Map”.
6. Washington Township Sidewalk “Spreadsheet of Written Sidewalk Gaps”.
7. Macomb Orchard Trail Map “Link”
8. Google Map (Earth)
9. Your own personal experience regarding pedestrian and vehicle traffic in Washington Township.
10. Parent Permission to Leave Google Meet-Form
 Romeo High School Architectural Design Student
First and Last Name
00.00.2021

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP SIDEWALK LOCATION RECOMMENDATIONS

Identified Sidewalk Gap Locations

Essential and Primary Sidewalk Gap Locations: Which of the current Gaps do you feel are most
important and Washington Township should focus on first? List the Segment Name and Location as written
on the “Spreadsheet of Written Gaps” of the Sidewalk Master Plan. Please identify a minimum of two.

I believe there are 2 gaps along 29 mile road that should be top priority when adding sidewalks in
Washington Township. One of these gaps is the “29 Mile Road West Connector” located on the South side of
29 Mile Road from Hidden Pond Drive to the Macomb Orchard Drive crossing at Van Dyke. Another
important gap is the “29 Mile Road East Connector” located on the South side of 29 Mile Road from the
RETC Parcel to Van Dyke.

Identified Gap Location Reasoning and Advantages: Clearly write why you selected the above locations
with strong reasoning and information.

I chose the stated gaps along 29 Mile Road for several reasons.

The “29 Mile Road West Connector” is very important because of its location. This sidewalk would connect
the Macomb Orchard Trail (a heavily traveled public trail) to several populated neighborhoods. It would also
create a connection to Indian Hills Elementary School and The Orchards Golf Club.

The “29 Mile Road East Connector” is also crucial to Washington Township. A sidewalk placed in this gap
would connect the high school to a large intersection (29 Mile Road and Vandyke).

With the new locations of the High School and 9th Grade Center on Jewell Road, the addition of these 2
sidewalks would allow for students in the neighborhoods along 29 mile to walk to school. It would also allow
students to walk to several locations from the school like the pharmacy or golf course, which is not possible
now. These sidewalk additions would allow for much more foot traffic and would be extremely helpful to
students of Romeo High School and residents of the neighborhoods along 29 Mile Road.

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 Romeo High School Architectural Design Student
First and Last Name
00.00.2021

UNIDENTIFIED Sidewalk Gap Locations

Written Location: Use street names, landmarks, and directions to describe. (Example: Southside of 29-mile
road from the west edge of Hevel Elementary to Jewell Road)

Eastside of Mound Road from the north end of existing sidewalk to the south edge of Greystone Golf Course

Site Photographs/ Map of the Proposed Sidewalk Location: Include a combination of map, or aerial and
street-level pictures. Be sure your alignment is correct and images are clear and sized appropriately.

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 Romeo High School Architectural Design Student
First and Last Name
00.00.2021

Cont. Site Photographs/ Map of the Proposed Sidewalk Location: Include a combination of map, or
aerial and street-level pictures. Be sure your alignment is correct and images are clear and sized
appropriately.

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 Romeo High School Architectural Design Student
First and Last Name
00.00.2021

Sidewalk Location Reasoning and Advantages: Clearly write your explanation of why a sidewalk should
be installed in this proposed area. For example, “ There are a number of reasons to locate a sidewalk here.
A sidewalk should be installed in the proposed location to create a stronger pedestrian link between Hevel
Elementary and Romeo High School. High School students who have younger siblings or do babysitting can
walk to pick students up after school or go to work as a volunteer at the elementary after school. This would
also allow students who live in the Autumn Creek subdivision to cut through Hevel and then get to the High
School. Placing a sidewalk here would also allow for the connection of the existing sidewalk which continues
to Van Dyke and 29-mile road where the Macomb Orchard Trail currently runs.

There are many reasons to add a sidewalk to this location. Currently there are several houses being built at
the North-East corner of 31 Mile Road and Mound Road. The small portion of sidewalk already existing
connects to this new subdivision, but ends abruptly in the grass before leading to anywhere of relevance. If
this sidewalk was continued to Greystone, it would allow the families in these houses, as well as the houses
along the north side of 31 Mile Road, to walk to the golf course with ease. Mound is also a highly traveled
road by vehicles, and the speed limit is 50 mph, making it dangerous to walk without a sidewalk. Because of
the already constructed sidewalk along the west side of Mound Road connecting to Seven Lakes, a
crosswalk could also be installed to connect the golf course and new housing area to the established
subdivision across the street.

Not Just Another Sidewalk Idea: Include an idea of how Washington Township could make its sidewalks
unique? For example, book shares at certain points, historical markers, exercise activities, etc.

One idea to make the sidewalks special would be to heat them from underneath the pavement during the
winter. Heated sidewalks have already been implemented in several urban areas such as Holland, MI and
would be a great addition to the sidewalks in Romeo. This would prevent snow build-up in the winter, and
would make sidewalks accessible year round. It would also eliminate the need to constantly shovel these
walkways after large snowfall.