The City of Jackson has been hard at work this year improving streets, parks, trails and water infrastructure for the community. Here is a breakdown of projects making an impact in neighborhoods across Jackson.
STREETS
“Fix the roads” is a comment we hear frequently from residents. This year, seven City streets are getting these often-requested fixes with resurfacing and patching projects. N. Perrine Street, a neighborhood street on Jackson’s east side, saw a sizable improvement project in 2023, bringing a new street surface, sidewalks and driveways. Pothole-plagued streets saw welcome refreshes with resurfacing projects on Wildwood Avenue, S. Brown Street, N. Wisner Street, and W. North Street. N. Brown Street and S. West Avenue received pavement patching to extend the overall life of the street surfaces.
PARKS
Parks and trails are a big contributor to the community’s quality of life, so it’s important to enhance these offerings for everyone in Jackson to enjoy. Optimist Park, a neighborhood park on the City’s north side, is seeing a large-scale construction project. The sale of adjacent City-owned property on N. West Avenue means the park is being reshaped with a new basketball court, playground and landscaping. $1.5 million generated from the property sale is going to the Optimist Park improvements and renovations at the Boos Recreation Center. A major project to upgrade Loomis Park was completed earlier this year. This popular park on Jackson’s east side received a new playground, exercise equipment, walking path, pavilion and entrance to the Boos Recreation Center.
TRAILS
Jackson’s pedestrian trail network continues to expand, providing more opportunities for outdoor exercise and non-motorized transportation. A new trail was installed this year along S. Brown Street from W. Morrell Street to W. Michigan Avenue, bringing more pedestrian access to Jackson’s west side. The first phase of construction started this year on the MLK Equality Trail. In the coming years, the entire length of the trail will receive a new concrete path to provide a more consistent surface and widened to accommodate more traffic. These improvements will also make the trail more accessible to people with disabilities. Four trail pedestrian crossings along the MLK and PAKA trails were made safer by installing warning lights and signs.
WATER
Jackson’s underground water infrastructure was refreshed this year as well. Outdated water mains on N. Perrine Street and Steward Avenue were replaced. The Department of Public Works (DPW) ramped up lead service line replacement projects, replacing 115 lines from March to Sept. this year. Replacement efforts will continue through Nov. and restart in early spring 2024. If you are contacted by the DPW for a replacement, please work with crews so they can replace your service line as soon as possible. The sooner you respond to crews, the easier this process will be for you and your neighbors.