Council awards $625,000 bid for 9 Mile downtown sidewalk and curb improvements to JB Contractors

The council approved a $625,000 bid to JB Contractors for a downtown West Nine Mile sidewalk and curb improvement project designed to coordinate with a 2027 roadway resurfacing and to reduce repeat disruption to downtown businesses.

Public works staff said bundling the sidewalk, curb and driveway work now with upcoming pavement work next year will reduce overall construction time and avoid removing newly replaced sidewalks during future roadway milling and paving. The project includes replacement of deteriorated pavers, ADA ramp and accessibility upgrades, curb and driveway reconstruction, mid‑block crossing improvements and targeted ADA parking relocation.

Funding for the contract will come from three sources: an Oakland County placemaking ARPA grant (approximately $199,000), the Downtown Development Authority local match (about $298,000) and city major street funds (roughly $129,000) for curb and driveway work tied to the later pavement project. The low responsive bid was JB Contractors; the engineering estimate had been about $593,000.

Construction will be phased (south side June–July; north side Sept–Nov) to limit conflicts with major downtown events, maintain pedestrian access during workdays and reopen two‑way traffic each night. Council approved the low bid and authorized the director of public works to execute contract documents; the vote was unanimous.