Northville City Council approves funding to work on river culvert

NORTHVILLE, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - In a unanimous vote, the Northville City Council will continue with its plans for a river park.

The city will pay $8.9 million to BNC Earthmovers LLC to create a new river channel and demolish a concrete culvert that's been there for several decades.

City Manager George Lahanas says this project will be one that will serve the city for many years to come.

"Now this river park will remove the soil. We've already knocked down the old barns and removed the asphalt. They will remove the contaminated soil as part of this project; that will all be tested to make sure they've done that and put it in the appropriate landfill," Lahanas said.. "Then they will build a river channel and a natural river bank for the river, and the river, when that's completed, will be taken out of this concrete culvert and run back into a natural state in the river banks for the future."

Several homeowners have expressed concerns about the project. Many are worried about dust impacting air quality, in addition to all the equipment being brought in to complete the work.

City leaders, on the other hand, say a lot of research has gone into making sure the project is handled correctly and with safety as a top priority. The council is also asking for constant updates on the project just in case

"We've heard some concerns about dust. When there's construction, there can be dust. We've put in a tremendous amount of effort as a city and with the devloper to make sure the impact on our residents is a minimal as possible," Lahanas said.