Ann Arbor City Council approves $20 million for road repairs and utility improvements this year
The Ann Arbor City Council on March 2 approved roughly $21.6 million for road, utility and mobility projects across Ann Arbor that will largely be completed in 2026 between April and November.
The work includes large-scale street resurfacing and preventative maintenance citywide, reconstruction of specific corridors such as Ann Street and Packard Street, and targeted neighborhood upgrades in Bryant Pattengill East, including water main and storm structure replacement. Additional investments address structural needs, such as replacement of the East Huron River Drive retaining wall, and incorporate multimodal and safety enhancements, including traffic calming on Doty Avenue, ADA ramp upgrades, buffered bike lanes, pedestrian signal improvements, and streetscape enhancements.
“This investment reflects our continued commitment to maintaining and modernizing Ann Arbor’s infrastructure,” said City Administrator Milton Dohoney Jr. “The construction paid for by these funds will deliver safer streets, smoother roads and more reliable services for our residents and businesses.”
The funds were allocated by six City Council resolutions:
Resolution 26-0105: Approval of a $6.7 million contract for 9.7 lane miles of resurfacing work on 23 local streets, five major streets, and one segment of asphalt path. Major streets to be resurfaced in 2026 include Zina Pitcher Place (from Catherine Street to E. Huron Street), Catherine Street (from Glen Avenue to Zina Pitcher Place), and E. Ann Street (from Zina Pitcher Place to Observatory Street). In addition, the project includes one traffic calming device installation on Doty Avenue, which was requested and approved through the city’s traffic calming program.
Resolution 26-0106: Approval of a $1.3 million contract for preventative maintenance on streets throughout the city. The work will include crack sealing and hot mix asphalt patching citywide and cape sealing pavement preservation treatment on two major streets and 14 local streets.
Resolution 26-0183: Approval of a $712,000 contract to replace the East Huron River Drive retaining wall between Chalmers Drive and Riverside Drive and for the reconstruction of the roadway.
Resolution 26-0282: Approval of a $4.1 million contract for work in the Bryant Pattengill East neighborhood. The work will include the replacement of aging public water mains, replacement of obsolete storm structures and complete street resurfacing of Needham Road from Medford Road to Manchester Road, Medford Road from St. Francis Drive to Manchester Road, Buckingham Road from Needham Road to Manchester Road, and Buckingham Court.
Resolution 26-0187: Appropriation of $2.5 million for improvements to Packard Street. Packard Street Improvements Project includes removal and replacement of asphalt pavements along Packard Street from South Main Street to State Street and installation of a new 12-inch water main to ensure water supply and quality needs. Improved features such as ADA compliant sidewalk ramp upgrades, bump-outs, and signal upgrades at the Fourth Avenue and Fifth Avenue intersections, Audible Pedestrian Systems at several intersections, and buffered bike lanes along the corridor will improve the safety of the roadway for pedestrians and cyclists while reducing vehicle speeds.
Resolution 26-0273: Approval of a $6.3 million contract for improvements to Ann Street from North First Street to North Fifth Avenue. The improvements will include road resurfacing, streetscape improvements, water main replacement and stormwater system improvements.
Information about construction timelines and detours for the funded projects will be released in the coming weeks.
More information about active and future road construction projects is available at https://www.a2gov.org/engineering/construction-projects/.
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Media Contact:
Steve Kilar, Communications Director, skilar@a2gov.org