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Construction Projects
In Portage, detour signs point to progress! Safe, quality roads make a critical contribution to a city's economic development and growth and bring about important social benefits.
First-rate roads are important to business owners. When a business is interested in expanding or locating in Portage, having good infrastructure is a great selling point. Keeping roads in a superior condition also stimulates the local economy by providing work for local contractors.
A well-maintained, upgraded road network provides residents with access to jobs, schools, stores, and recreation, as well as social and health services. Furthermore, better roads lead to savings in the way of travel time, gas consumption, and traffic accidents.
We realize that motorists and residents may be disrupted and inconvenienced during construction projects by detours, local road closures, dust, noise, heavy equipment traffic, and increased traffic on surrounding roads. However, when projects are complete, the benefits include reducing costly vehicle repairs caused by inferior roads, the number or severity of accidents, and congestion during peak travel times.
Current City of Portage road construction projects under design and/or construction are shown below. Use the tabs to view current major and local street construction projects and view construction project news releases.
South Westnedge Avenue Traffic Signal System Upgrade Project, Upgrade of traffic signals on South Westnedge Avenue at the intersections of Idaho Avenue/Dawnlee Avenue and Mall Drive. The project includes replacement of obsolete mast arms and upgrades to the signal controller and pedestrian signals.
Start Date: September, 2020
Expected Completion Date: Spring, 2021
Status: Replacements/Upgrades have been completed. Restorations will be completed in the spring, 2021.
East Milham Avenue Reconstruction Project, from South Westnedge Avenue to Portage Road. The project includes water main installation, storm sewer improvements, traffic signal replacement, milling the existing pavement, upgrades of sidewalks and ADA ramps, new sidewalk and curb and gutter, paving and landscape restorations.
Contractor: Rieth-Riley Construction Company, Inc.
Engineer: Abonmarche Consultants
Project Cost: $2,887,956
Start Date: April, 2021
Expected Completion Date: August, 2021
Status: Work continues on water main and service replacements. Foundations for the new traffic signal poles are installed at Newport Road.
East Centre Avenue - Portage Community Senior Center, at 203 East Centre Avenue. A new center will replace the existing Portage Senior Center and will feature a multipurpose room with a 330 seating capacity, a courtyard, an outdoor terrace, recreational and fitness spaces, a commercial kitchen, coffee shop, activities room, and a health clinic. The new building will be more than four times the size of the current center and will be available for community use as part of Portage Parks & Recreation programming and through facility rentals. A group of dedicated community leaders have been working to raise $5.5 million in charitable gifts as part of this unique public/private partnership with the City of Portage. The official ground-breaking was held on September 24, 2020.
Status: Sanitary sewer and water main installation across East Centre Avenue began on Monday, May 3, 2021. East Centre Avenue from Oak Street to Kingston Drive will experience lane restrictions. Traffic will be shifted to the outside curb lanes with one lane in both the eastbound and westbound directions.
Local Mill & Fill Projects:
The City of Portage Street Mill and Fill Program consists of major maintenance to selected streets to enhance structural integrity and ride quality and prolong the life of the street. These improvements include the removal of badly worn areas of the road and overlaying the surface with 1.5 inches of new asphalt.
The city has contracted with Michigan Paving & Materials of Kalamazoo, Michigan, to perform the Spring 2021 Mill and Fill Project. This pavement work is scheduled to begin on May 3 2021 with an expected completion of May 14. The following locations are scheduled for this project:
- Andrea Lane
- Wendy Lane
- Charter Avenue
- Primrose Lane (Schuring Road – Royal Oak Avenue)
- E Milham Avenue (S. Sprinkle Road to City Limits)
- Gladys Street (S. Westnedge Avenue – Newport Road)
- Newport Road (Gladys Street – East Milham Avenue)
- Mandigo Avenue (Autumn View Lane – E. Shore Drive)
During paving operations, one lane of travel will remain open at all times. Residents should be aware that a “tac coat” (oily substance) is sprayed on the street before paving to bond the new asphalt to the old surface. Driving on the tac coat should be avoided as this material may attach to tires and vehicle undercarriages and be carried onto your driveway or garage floor. To ensure the safety of residents and contracted employees and facilitate the project's efficient completion, the city requests that vehicles be removed from the roadway during the project.
March 8, 2021: East Milham Avenue Reconstruction - South Westnedge Avenue to Portage Road
April 22, 2021: Northbound S. Westnedge Avenue @ E. Milham Avenue - Right Turn Lane Closure
April 30, 2021: Street Mill and Fill Program - Spring 2021
May 3, 2021: East Centre Avenue Lane Closure - Oak Street to Kingston Drive
Other Agency Projects
I-94 Construction in the City of Portage
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is starting a two-year project to widen I-94 from four to six lanes from Lovers Lane to Sprinkle Road in Kalamazoo, connecting expansion work completed in previous years along the corridor. A video explaining the project is available on MDOT's YouTube channel.
Work is set to begin on April 13 with pavement repairs on westbound I-94 between Lovers Lane and Sprinkle Road. There will be nighttime single-lane closures on westbound I-94 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Tuesday, April 13, through Thursday, April 15, and again from Monday, April 19, through Thursday, April 22.
MDOT is investing $87 million to widen 2.7 miles of I-94 and rebuild the Portage Road interchange with a new alignment known as a single-point urban interchange (SPUI), similar to the I-94/Westnedge Avenue interchange. The project also includes rebuilding four bridges and one culvert, traffic signal upgrades, new signs, freeway lighting, and noise barrier installation.
This year, two lanes will be maintained in each direction on westbound I-94 while the eastbound lanes are rebuilt. There will be intermittent ramp and local road closures with posted detours during the project. For closure details, visit Mi Drive.
As part of the interchange realignment, the Kilgore Road bridge over I-94 and indirect left turn at Portage Road will be removed and the new Kilgore Road alignment east of Portage Road will use what currently is Kilgore Service Road.
Intermittent night and weekend work will be required throughout the project. Crews will suspend work in mid-November for the winter and resume in spring 2022. Rebuilding is expected to be completed in November 2022. Sign up for MDOT text or email updates at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDOT/subscriber/new. Subscribe to the "Kalamazoo County" category.
Source: https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9620_11057-556490--rss,00.html
Construction on South Sprinkle Road
The Road Commission of Kalamazoo County (RCKC) will perform major construction on South Sprinkle Road between Milham Avenue and N Avenue. The nearly $2.5 million project covering 1.2 miles of roadway will primarily consist of surface milling, hot mix asphalt (HMA) overlay, and culvert work.
A single lane in both directions is expected to stay open throughout the duration of the project. South Sprinkle Road will be utilized as a detour route for the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT’s) I-94 project noted above. Please follow all posted detours. With the influx of detour traffic and reduced lanes, motorists should plan for traffic delays or find an alternate route.
Of the nearly $2.5 million cost, approximately $980,000 was secured through federal funding sources. The City of Portage contributed just under $300,000 to the project cost for watermain work, and the remaining balance is funded through Michigan Transportation Fund (MTF) revenue in the RCKC budget.
Work is slated to begin on May 1 and to be completed by October 30, 2021. Work progress is always weather permitting. Motorists can stay up to date on construction by signing up for RCKC Connect alerts delivered via text or email. Sign up at kalamazoocountyroads.com and click the “Notify Me” button or call 269-381-3171 for assistance.
Source: https://www.kalamazoocountyroads.com/userfiles/kcrc/news/Sprinkle%20Road%20Construction.pdf