City Council passed a resolution pledging support for the application by the Macomb County Department of Roads on behalf of Innovate Mound for an Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Grant and making a commitment to fund the City's local match.
The City is a founding partner with the County of Macomb and the City of Warren in the Innovate Mound Project, an initiative that seeks to transform nine miles of the Mound Road corridor, from Interstate 696 to State Route M-59. The project includes a new roadway with additional lanes north 17 Mile Road, that incorporates the future of mobility and state the art technology. The project would also include two pedestrian sky walk crossings located just south of Metro Parkway and GM Tech Center.
The Mound Road corridor generates an economic impact of $8.7 billion within Macomb County and $13.5 billion within the state of Michigan. Job creation and retention within a ten-mile radius of the Mound Road corridor exceeds 80,000 manufacturing jobs supporting national automotive, aerospace, military defense, and advanced manufacturing businesses. Mayor Michael C. Taylor stated, “This corridor is invaluable to the entire region in which major corporations are located not to mention TACOM -- a vitally important defense facililty. Mound Road needs to be state of the art for not only general motorists but for the valuable cargo and freight transported along the the corridor daily.”
The structual integrity of Mound Road is poor, evidenced by extensive joint failure and surface decay throughout nearly every portion of the eight lanes of roadway. At 30 years old, Mound Road is in need of reconstruction that will transform the corridor from its current state into a modern, next generation arterial highway. The reconstruction will provide such benefits as smoother roads with proper drainage, reduced congestion from improved design and smart technologies and implementation of pedestrian, non-motorized and other features that will enhance the corridor's strategic importance to the region.
The projected cost associated with the reconstruction is substantial at $217,000,000, which necessitates the grant application 
on behalf of the Innovate Mound Project partners in the amount of $130,000,000 which will cover sixty percent of the project cost.
An Executive Committee has been established consisting of major business leaders throughout the corridor to help plan for the required improvements and raise awareness of the corridor's importance with local, state and national stakeholders.
The grant requirement for a forty percent local match will be met by Macomb County ($43,450,000), the city of Warren ($14,483,000) and the city of Sterling Heights ($28,967,000).
For more information on this project, visit www.innovatemound.org or contact Community Relations Director Bridget Kozlowski at (586) 446-2471 or email bkoz@sterling-heights.net.