Stories indexed with the term ‘wayfinding signs’

Ann Arbor DDA Shifts into Monitor Mode

cyclist locking bike to a pole

The new wayfinding signs have poles that are perfect for locking bikes. In all fairness to this cyclist, he's unlocking his bike – the bike hoop just to the right was fully subscribed at the time he locked up. (Photo by the writer.)

Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority (Sept. 2, 2009): In the last year, Ann Arbor’s Downtown Development Authority has moved three major projects from planning and approval phases towards actual start of construction.

For starters, visitors to downtown Ann Arbor will likely have noticed some of the new wayfinding signs that have already been installed over the last couple of weeks.  They’ll also have encountered the lane closures along Division Street, that has Eastlund Concrete pouring bumpouts as part of the Fifth and Division streetscape improvement project. And in mid-October, The Christman Company expects to start digging the massive hole at the Library Lot for the Fifth Avenue underground parking garage.

The DDA board meeting on Wednesday reflected this shift from planning to execution and monitoring: It was heavy on updates on how projects were faring in the field.

But in addition to the project updates, there was still room for planning ahead. For example, the board received a preliminary briefing on the impact of a possible city income tax on the DDA’s revenue – a $700,000 hit. The board also put a bit of time into discussion of its role in transportation. Plus, the board completed some unfinished business from its annual meeting in July by selecting a treasurer (Russ Collins) and confirming its selection of a chair (John Splitt). [Full Story]

Color-Coded Construction

sidewalk

Utility workers marked up the sidewalk on the southwest corner of Liberty and Division, in preparation for the DDA's Fifth and Division streetscape project. CLR means there aren't any lines in that location for the utility corresponding to the color of the marking . (Photo by the writer.)

We began with a question: What do the new multi-colored letters and symbols along Division Street mean?

Yes, the stretch of Division between Madison and Detroit streets is getting an overhaul – as part  of an Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority project. And yes, utility workers have been marking up the sidewalks for weeks.

But how to decipher these urban hieroglyphics?

In the process of answering that question, we also learned the answer to this one: What’s the connection between deer hunting and asphalt?

And along the way, we got an update about the work, which started this week on South Division, between Packard and Liberty, as well as a more general overview of progress on the DDA’s Fifth and Division streetscape project.  [Full Story]