Tri-party funds go to paying for rest of traffic light work

Wixom will be leveraging Tri-party Program funds to cover the cost of traffic signal and intersection improvements at the corner of Alpha Tech Drive and Wixom Road, across from the shuttered Ford Wixom assembly plant.

Though the $286,000 project was completed in 2010, funding had not been finalized. The bulk of the project’s costs will be paid through a Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Improvement (CMAC) grant in the amount of $178,000.

“The grant required a 20 percent match for construction plus some non-participating CMAC items like engineering, relocation of sprinkler lines, and other things that exceeded the maximum of the grant, so we financed the local portion through Tri-party funds,” said Assistant City Manager Tony Nowicki.

The Tri-party program, in effect since 1989, allows local communities to decide the nature of projects to be funded equally by the municipality, Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) and county. Such projects typically include widening intersections, adding turn lanes, drain improvements, signal installations, curb or shoulder work, and widening roads. Projects are identified based on residential complaints, community official input and RCOC recommendations.

The balance of the project’s remaining $108,000 in costs will be divided equally between the city, RCOC and county government, with each one’s share estimated at $36,000 each.

The city had been banking Tri-party funds for several years to pay for the project.

Lakeside Oakland Development, the developer of Alpha Tech Park, stepped up to contribute $6,950 toward the work.

“The work was completed in 2010 and we had prior approval to use Tri-party funds, but it had to go back to council after the project because the exact costs were unknown and we had to figure in the CMAC funds,” said Wixom Department of Public Works Director Mike Howell.

The City Council approved the disbursement at a meeting held in late April.