If you are on campus, you most certainly noticed that there is a lot of construction underway right now. This work is part of a rebuilding project of US-41 by Michigan’s Department of Transportation, a project estimated to be over in the fall of 2022. The end result will feature wider sidewalks, designated turn lanes, a reduction from four lanes to two lanes on Townsend Drive, and medians, as well as new crosswalks, including one between E. Montezuma Avenue and College Avenue. While we wait for this improvement, many are left to walk through construction and deal with the detour. According to Dan Weingarten of MDOT communications, due to utility and water main conflicts, it was initially thought that this construction would be done by Aug. 27 and was delayed until Sept. 10. However, due to concerns about pedestrian safety, they have decided to use the new southbound pavement on the roadway as a temporary sidewalk as the old sidewalk is removed and replaced. Weingarten believes that this will likely lead to the detour to be delayed until Monday Sept. 27.
Following this, it will take about four weeks to wrap up the 2021 construction season, which deals with the reconstruction of the southbound section as well as the construction of MacInnes Drive, after which construction will be suspended for winter. This means that construction won’t be wrapped up until mid-to-late October.
Construction picks up again in the spring, with work being done on College Avenue, Montezuma Avenue and Franklin Square. At this time, southbound US-41 will be detoured beginning at the Portage Lift Bridge to Sharon Avenue, ending at MacInnes Drive. This detour will utilize temporary traffic signals at Military Road and Portage Street to replace the existing four-way stops which will maintain a smoother traffic flow.
