South State Street Median Improvements

Project Overview

The City of Ann Arbor is coordinating with the Southside Business Improvement Zone (Southside BIZ), a group of local commercial property owners, on improvements to the South State Street corridor near the Briarwood Mall.

The Southside BIZ is investing in landscaping for three large median islands along South State Street. The goal is to soften the appearance of the corridor and replace large paved median areas with planted areas. As part of the City’s review, staff identified the need to pair the median landscaping with a formal pedestrian crossing so people walking across South State Street have a clearer and more visible place to cross.

City staff are designing a new pedestrian crossing between Mall Drive and Briarwood Circle. The planned crossing elements include accessible ramps, sidewalk through the median, high-visibility crosswalk markings, and rectangular rapid flashing beacons, also known as RRFBs.

The City and the Southside BIZ design team are coordinating the crossing, landscaping, sight distance, traffic control, and construction timing so the work can be completed safely and in the correct sequence.

Why is this project being done?

South State Street is a wide commercial corridor with large paved medians. The proposed landscaping will improve the appearance of the corridor and add visual interest to a street that currently feels open and expansive.

At the same time, people already walk cross South State Street in this area. Today, the open median condition provides long sight lines, but new landscaping could reduce visibility if crossings are not organized into a clear location. For that reason, the City is pairing the median landscaping work with a formal pedestrian crossing.

The crossing is intended to:

provide a clearer place for people to cross South State Street;

improve visibility for people walking and approaching drivers;

support safe access to nearby businesses, bus stops, hotels, and destinations;

maintain sight lines through the median landscaping design; and

align the aesthetic investment with the City’s transportation safety goals.

Work to be done

The Southside BIZ is funding the median landscaping investment. The City is coordinating and installing the pedestrian crossing elements needed to support safe crossing activity in the corridor.

Costs and funding sources

Cost information is being finalized. The median landscaping is funded by the Southside BIZ. City work related to the pedestrian crossing is being coordinated through City staff and City crews.