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MDOT open house Wednesday for future M-139 and Main Street improvements in Benton Harbor

COLOMA, Mich. - The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) invites the public to attend a meeting to discuss a planned 2026 project to repave and rebuild M-139 from near the St. Joseph River to I-94 Business Loop (BL) (Main Street) in Benton Charter and Sodus townships and the city of Benton Harbor, as well as I-94 BL (Main Street) from Fair Avenue to Butternut Street in Benton Harbor. Proposed work includes improvements to pavement condition, safety, drainage, and public utilities on 4.4 miles of state highway.

Who:
Community stakeholders
Local businesses
Interested residents
MDOT staff and contractors              

When:
Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024
4 - 6 p.m.

Where:
Benton Charter Township Hall
1725 Territorial Road
Benton Harbor, MI 49022

Accessibility:
Attendees who require mobility, visual, hearing, written, or other assistance for effective participation should contact Orlando Curry at 517-241-7462 or CurryO@Michigan.gov, preferably at least five business days prior to the scheduled meeting. Forms are located on the Title VI webpage. Requests made after this timeframe will be evaluated and honored to the extent possible.

Project information:
MDOT plans to improve M-139 from 2,300 feet south of I-94 to I-94 BL (Main Street), and I-94 BL (Main Street) from Fair Avenue to Butternut Street. The entire project length is about 4.4 miles. The section of M-139 from south of I-94 to the split north of Empire Avenue will be repaved and retain its existing primarily five-lane configuration. North of Empire Avenue, the existing divided one-way roadways of Fair Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive will be converted to two-way traffic with Fair Avenue being disconnected from M-139 and becoming a Benton Harbor city street, and Martin Luther King Drive remaining as M-139.

Martin Luther King Drive will be repaved and Fair Avenue will be rebuilt. A roundabout will be installed at Empire Avenue to replace that existing traffic signal. These changes are a result of early design coordination held with local stakeholder, including the City of Benton Harbor, Benton Township, and the public in spring 2023.

The public meeting is designed to discuss the proposed design plans with the community. Work is tentatively planned to begin in 2026.

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