April 20, 2009 -- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will begin reconstructing US-41 (Shelden Avenue) in downtown Houghton on Thursday, April 23. This project includes replacement of subsurface utilities, construction of brick street and sidewalk, and installation of historical replica lighting, and will be completed by mid-November.
MDOT also will be extending the US-41 boulevard section through the Michigan Technological University (MTU) campus. This work is targeted for the summer break, and is scheduled to begin Monday, May 4, and be completed by Aug. 21.
During construction, Montezuma Avenue will be converted to two-way traffic, with a detour on S haron Avenue. Truck through-traffic on northbound US-41 will use Cliff Drive, MacInnes Drive and Sharon Avenue. Other northbound US-41 and westbound M-26 through-traffic will use Cliff Drive, College Avenue, and Montezuma Avenue to reach US-41 at the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. Southbound US-41 traffic will follow M-26 to Sharon Avenue and MacInnes Drive, then to US-41.
Work downtown is scheduled for four phases in two-block sections. Businesses will remain open during construction, accessible via temporary sidewalks for pedestrians. Portage Lake Lift Bridge openings for boat traffic will be restricted to once per hour during construction, except for commercial vessel traffic.
This project will renew the pavement life, make aesthetic improvements to downtown Houghton, extend the life of the utility systems, and offer increased pedestrian safety.
For up-to-date information on this project, go to the list of statewide lane closures at: www.michigan.gov/drive.
MDOT: Working to improve our state roads and bridges.
|