Van Buren Township

Sidewalk Replacement Program (Public Meeting)


To join the zoom meeting CLICK HERE.


The Van Buren Township Public Services Department was been asked by the Board of Trustees to  develop a concept for a sidewalk replacement program. Over the last 6 months, the Department has collected information, spoken to contractors and consultants, and reviewed other community sidewalk replacement programs.  

A sidewalk replacement program provides for an effective means to correct existing sidewalk  defects. These defects include but are not limited to age deterioration, cracking, disintegration, root lifting, settling and damage from construction activities. Repair or replacement of these defects is imperative to provide for safe pedestrian travel.

While most sidewalks abutting public roads in the Township are within the Wayne County right of way, the maintenance and upkeep of the sidewalk is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner. Under a Michigan Supreme Court decision, local municipalities are responsible for making sure property owners maintain their sidewalks in a safe condition.

The Department of Public Services was asked to develop a concept sidewalk replacement  program framework.  Staff has developed a concept program working with sidewalk contractors and  consultants, based on nearby communities’ programs.  The estimated costs for this program represent industry standards and pricing solicited from local contractors. 

Staff identified the pilot project area of Van Buren Estates (Haggerty Subdivision) with its 716 lots and approximately 214,800 linear feet of sidewalk.  In order to gauge Township resident interest in this potential program, a Townhall meeting will be held on April 27, 2021, at 7:00 pm on Zoom.  It is encouraged that all property owners attend this meeting.

At this meeting the following will be discussed:

  • The Sidewalk Assessment Process
  • How the Sidewalk Replacement will be billed out to residents
  • Options for residents who want to do their own sidewalk replacement

While property owners would be paying for the replacement, the Township would establish an estimated budget of 1.12 million (assuming 40% of the sidewalk in Van Buren Estates needs to be replaced).  This would place the average estimated cost per property owner for repair under the concept project to be approximately $1,600 per lot.  This would be billed out to residents based on how   many   flags  (slabs)  of  sidewalks  are  replaced  per  their  lot.  Please note that  these costs are estimates   for   the  Haggerty  Subdivision  Pilot  Project  scope  and  do  not  include  ramps, driveway approaches, driveway sidewalk, and sprinkler repair.