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SOUTHFIELD — The city of Southfield recently celebrated two major infrastructure and beautification projects.
At a ribbon cutting held June 25, representatives from both Southfield and Oak Park gathered to celebrate the restoration of Foster Winter Drive and the first phase of the Greenfield Road Beautification Initiative.
The project on Foster Winter Drive, which was completed in the summer of 2024, involved the full reconstruction of the roadway between Nine Mile and Greenfield roads. During construction, the road was resurfaced to eliminate potholes and improve drivability.
Additionally, a new pedestrian crossing was also installed to enhance walkability and provide a safer connection between Surgeon’s Choice Hospital and Greenfield Road.
The larger of the two projects, the Greenfield Road Beautification Project, is a collaboration between both cities. The first phase of the project includes custom gateway monument signs located just south of Nine Mile Road and near Northland Drive; decorative streetlight banners and a public art lighting installation, which is planned to be installed later this year under the Eight Mile Road bridge.
According to a press release from the city of Southfield, Greenfield Road experiences an average daily traffic count of 33,731 vehicles.
The two projects represent a partnership between the cities of Southfield and Oak Park.
Southfield Mayor Ken Siver said the partnership between the two cities has helped reinvigorate what used to be “one of the hottest places in metro Detroit.”
“It’s all about collaboration and working together,” Siver said. “We’re seeing tremendous reinvestment … and it’s through this partnership between Oak Park, Southfield, Detroit, the Eight Mile Boulevard Association, that we’re getting things done.”
Oak Park City Manager Erik Tungate joked that the two cities are in a friendly competition to make improvements, which benefits the residents of both.
“Congratulations on just a tremendous amount of things that you have going on, and I feel like we’re in this friendly competition that we’ve got,” he said. “And I think that’s good for everybody, right?”
Tungate also stated that a good partnership between the cities has led to more improvements in Oak Park as well.
“I think people in the community wonder, what’s a good partnership worth? Well, it’s worth everything,” he said. “In the city of Oak Park, we have millions of dollars of both public dollars and private dollars being invested as we speak. We’re building a new event hub and a new community center as we speak, and those things are happening because of partnerships that we have with our state partners, our public partners.”
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