Construction begins on a twomile section of East Front Street in Traverse City on Sunday, and the two segments of this project are expected to take place through November. While the work takes place outside Leelanau County, this is sure to affect the large portions of the county workforce who live outside the county and commute through downtown Traverse City.
Since the Grandview Parkway trunkline is owned by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the project falls under state jurisdiction. Traffic impacts are listed on michigan.gov/mdot and will start at the portion between Garfield and Grandview Parkway streets. This segment is expected to be completed prior to the National Cherry Festival start on June 29, with work on the western segment – between East Front and Division streets – to start in July.
“Westbound traffic will be detoured on Railroad Avenue and Eighth Street; eastbound traffic will be detoured on Peninsula Drive, Eastern Avenue and Milliken Drive. Northbound and southbound M-37/Garfield Avenue traffic will be detoured on Eastern Avenue, Milliken Drive, Fair Street, and Eighth Street,” the project page says.
According to the project page on the website, the project will include “operational enhancements” at the intersections of Division, Hall, and Front streets and Peninsula Drive, drainage improvements, upgraded disability access, repairs to the bridge over the Boardman River, and new signs and pavement markings.
Grand Traverse County residents are anxious about this project, as MDOT staff are doubtlessly aware. MDOT held a Feb. 20 “open house” at their office in Garfield Township to packed crowds, with residents lining up outside the building’s entrance to ask questions to staff fielding questions at several tables.
Leelanau County also has eyes on the project, including those of elected officials. At the county Road Commission meeting on Tuesday, Road Commissioner Garth Greenan suggested conducting a traffic study of Leelanau County roads while they see increased use during the Grandview Parkway project – particularly those roads that fall within the census- designated “urbanized” area of the county.
Parts of Leelanau County were designated as “urbanized” when the 2020 census found they met the population requirements. According to the Traverse Transportation Coordinating Initiative (TTCI) website, Elmwood and Bingham townships fall within these boundaries.
By using traffic studies to demonstrate that these roads see greater use during construction in the neighboring county, Greenan told the newspaper, it will help the county secure state and federal funds for road projects in the county in the future.
Although the Grandview Parkway project is not a Traverse City project, the city has a page on its website that collects updates as they are received. It can be found on www.traversecitymi.gov/projects/ mdot-grandview-parkwayproject. html.
