US-31/M-72 (Grandview Parkway) project Segment 1 complete, reopened to traffic

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - Fighting past some threatened rain, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and prime contractor Team Elmers finished the first segment of the $24.7 million US-31/M-72 (Front Street and Grandview Parkway) project in Traverse City today and fully reopened to traffic one week ahead of schedule.

Now that Segment 1 of the project (Garfield Avenue to Front Street) is complete, crews will pause the project until after the Fourth of July and National Cherry Festival. Work on Segment 2 (the US-31/Grandview Parkway/Front Street intersection west to Division Street) is scheduled to begin July 8.

"An early start this spring and the tenacious work by Team Elmers not only allows us to meet our goal of getting all lanes open prior to Cherry Festival, but completing Segment 1 roughly a week early," said MDOT Traverse City Transportation Service Center (TSC) Construction Engineer Jim Johnson. "We look forward to starting the second half of this project and making similar progress toward completion."

Now that Segment 1 is complete, the detour for westbound US-31 traffic will be removed. When work on Segment 2 begins July 8, the eastbound lanes of US-31/Grandview Parkway will be closed as they are rebuilt, and one lane of US-31 traffic will be maintained in each direction on the westbound lanes.

Once the eastbound lanes are completed, traffic will be moved to those lanes, again with one lane open in each direction while the westbound lanes are rebuilt. The switch is tentatively expected to happen shortly after Labor Day.

While crews are working on the Grandview Parkway/Front Street intersection portion of Segment 2, pedestrians will be detoured across Front Street and Grandview Parkway at the Barlow Street signalized crossing and the Murchie Bridge underpass. While crews are working on the Division Street/Grandview Parkway intersection, pedestrians will be detoured to the High-Intensity Activated CrossWalK (HAWK) signal crossing at the Elmwood Street/Grandview Parkway intersection and the signalized crossing at the Division Street/East 

More information on the project schedule, as well as detour route maps for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, are available on the 

In addition to rebuilding the roadway, this project will include replacing concrete curb and gutter, upgrading sidewalk and ramps, improving storm sewer, and repairing the Murchie Bridge over the Boardman River. The City of Traverse City also is investing $3.5 million to replace underground water and wastewater utilities as part of the contract. Based on economic modeling, this investment is expected to directly and indirectly support 351 jobs.