Grandview repaving starts soon
Sep. 28—TRAVERSE CITY — Construction crews will start paving the remaining half of a major thoroughfare in Traverse City soon, but there's more work to do.
Elmer's Crane and Dozer pavers should be ready to lay asphalt on Grandview Parkway's north lanes between Front and Division streets starting next week, Michigan Department of Transportation spokesman James Lake said.
"We're always hesitant to say we're ahead of schedule, just because weather can change and unexpected things can be encountered during construction, but at this point, I'd say we're very confident that we'll be able to reopen everything by mid-November as planned."
While paving is the main outstanding item, contractors must also paint lane markers, restore disturbed ground and complete some work in the median, Lake said.
That includes repaving the portions being used as traffic crossovers, said Tonya Wildfong, Elmer's communications and marketing director.
"So we'll need to shift traffic to both sides of the parkway to be able to pave that center section," she said.
Paving kicks off the final stretch of a project that kicked off in mid-March, starting with rebuilding East Front Street from Garfield Avenue to Grandview Parkway. That was the first of three phases, with construction on Grandview's south lanes kicking off in July, shortly after the National Cherry Festival wrapped.
Wildfong said the project is the result of considerable planning between MDOT and the construction company, and she's hopeful the weather cooperates so work can wrap on time.
"We just appreciate the patience," she said. "We understand it's been a long project throughout the summer."
Lake said the project is within its $24.7-million budget as well, and work on the final phase has progressed smoothly despite contractors hitting water mains in a few places and causing breaks that needed repairs.
Work on the southern lanes came to a halt after contractors unearthed human remains in late July. Forensic anthropologists from Western Michigan University conducted a thorough search of the site.
Police later said the remains seemed to come from more than one person, predated modern forensic techniques and, judging from other artifacts found nearby, looked to have been intentionally buried there.
The project isn't the last for the busy road. MDOT will rebuild Grandview Parkway from Division Street to the M-72 intersection, then continue on M-22 to just north of the Cherry Bend Road intersection.
That project will include reconfiguring the M-22, M-72 and Bay Street intersection into a roundabout, Lake said. Work should begin in April 2025, contingent on any weather or frost delays.
