The city of Southfield recently received the 2008 Quality of Life Award from the Michigan Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
The award was given for the Southfield Municipal Complex South Parking Lot project that replaced and reconfigured the existing parking lot servicing the municipal offices, police department and golf course. The project goals were to improve the parking lot’s functionality, reduce its environmental impact and enhance public safety and usability. The project involved rubbelizing or removing the existing concrete pavement, replacing it with a new asphalt pavement, relocating the parking lot lighting, installing a pervious asphalt pavement and base, a bioswale and landscaping. The lot was reconfigured to increase pedestrian safety by reducing the potential conflicts with vehicles. Several designated crosswalks were eliminated and vehicles accessing the site were rerouted outside the limits of the parking area. As a result, the new parking lot is more pedestrian friendly with improved traffic circulation and increased handicap accessibility. All pedestrian facilities were updated to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.
The new south parking lot at City Hall will serve as a model for other similar resurfacing projects. The project features one of the first and largest installations of porous pavement at a municipal facility in the state of Michigan. The new lot was designed and constructed utilizing new technology and materials that make it environmentally-friendly, reducing storm water runoff by one-third and filtering it before it reaches streams and other waterways. This approach not only helps to protect the environment, but also to reduce the impact upon the immediate habitat.
For more information, contact Southfield Public Works Director Gary Mekjian at (248) 796-4801.