The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Dexter bypass
By Sandi Kasha, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: January 11, 2007
Ideas for a bypass around downtown Dexter were said to be dead and buried, but the Washtenaw County Road Commission has brought the issue back to life.
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The approximately mile-long bypass would have extended Parker Road north and west, connecting it to Dexter-Pinckney Road by cutting behind Gordon Hall, the village founder's homestead.
The idea was first proposed about 10 years ago by the Road Commission as a way to relieve traffic congestion by directing vehicles on an alternative route besides Main Street and would also allow traffic to get to Interstate 94 without going through the village.
The bypass was eventually put on hold because of public disinterest and lack of funding, said Roy Townsend, director of engineering for the Road Commission.
Aside from residents' aversion to the bypass, the United Methodist Retirement Community's looming 61-unit development on 15 acres of the property may complicate the issue.
Village Council Trustee Paul Cousins said during Monday's council meeting that he thinks the Road Commission is doing everything in its power to put the kibosh on the UMRC development.
"I believe that the Road Commission would do anything to prevent UMRC to develop," he said.
Cousins said that the Road Commission is angry at Dexter Area Historical Society and Museum for purchasing the 165-year-old mansion from the University of Michigan for $1.5 million last year.
But the Road Commission is brushing off any conspiracy theories.
"We didn't review UMRC's site plan because, at that point, the development was still in Webster Township," Townsend said.
UMRC submitted their site plan to the Road Commission in November.
"It hadn't been annexed into the village and since then a conditional transfer has taken place," Townsend explained. "Our attorneys are reviewing the documents to make sure the transfer is valid."
Dexter Village officials accepted UMRC's request for a conditional land transfer Dec. 11.
The transfer is an alternative to annexation and is intended for the purpose of an economic development project.
Townsend said the housing development would cause some difficulties for the bypass.
"It would be tough to squeeze the road since the development and Gordon Hall are so close together," he said. "If they (UMRC) limited the number of condos, you could squeeze through the middle of the development."
Townsend said he didn't know when UMRC's site plan would be reviewed, but engineers probably would have to reconfigure the proposed development and reduce the number of units.
"We are absolutely not trying to put a stop to the development," Townsend said.
But Cousins is still weary.
He said that the UMRC development is crucial since it would generate revenue the historical society will need to restore and maintain Gordon Hall.
Townsend said the bypass is needed based on Dexter's growing population.
"A traffic study conducted in 2005 showed that roughly 18,000 vehicles travel through the village," he said. "In 2025, we're looking at about 27,000 vehicles."
Townsend added that the proposed three-lane Main Street Bridge and a two-lane bypass would be an effective way to relieve traffic.
But traffic congestion is the least of Cousins' worries.
"The idea of the bypass is ludicrous," Cousins said. "We don't want it and they know we don't want it. It's a dead issue and it should remain that way.
"It would create a 40-foot bridge over the railroad tracks and would create traffic. It's pointless and illogical and they don't have the money to do it."
Cousins added that a bypass would diminish the village's charm, and protecting the Gordon Hall property is his priority.
"It would also kill downtown traffic because the bypass would take people around the downtown," he said.
Cousins' remarks don't come as a surprise to Townsend.
"We know that most of the village residents are against the idea of a bypass," Townsend said. "We want to meet with the townships to get their input on the idea.
"It's simple, we're looking at traffic volume 20 years down the line to determine how many lanes are needed."
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