A buildout of the Vining Road and Ecorse Road corridors for the City of Romulus was named Project of the Year in the Transportation category ($5-25 Million) by the Michigan Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA-MI). The City has long planned development of the area, known as the Vining Road Development District, with the vision of the corridors becoming a regional attraction with large-scale employment, shopping centers and entertainment. One piece of the vision has already come to fruition, as the projects largely supported integration of a new 2.3 million-square-foot Amazon warehouse facility on eastbound Ecorse. The new corridor provides a direct route for traffic to nearby expressways and the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
Wade Trim partnered with Romulus consulting engineer OHM Advisors—which led the reconstruction of Ecorse Road—to design the Vining roadway and major utilities to serve the area. We also provided construction engineering and inspection services on the Vining Road utility and pavement construction, which stretches from northbound Smith Road to Ecorse Road. The new, two-lane boulevard section includes electric, water and sanitary lines; a box culvert to accommodate the Ecorse Creek and McGee Drain; and mast arm traffic signals at the intersection of Ecorse Road. Along with our design work, Wade Trim facilitated Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) wetland permitting, landscape architecture, native plantings, maintenance of traffic, utility relocation, and hydraulic analysis for the enclosure and relocation of the Ecorse Creek and McGee Drain.
Technology used to document Vining Road progress during construction included cloud-based computing and survey, and drone inspection photography and videography. These unique methods allowed for ease of access and high-quality project progress media.
Wade Trim Project Manager Vaughn Martin (center right) and OHM Advisors Project Manager Kent Early (center left) accept the Project of the Year Award from APWA-MI President Elect John Thompson (left), and President Charles Hart.
