MUSKEGON, Mich. — The big construction project on Lakeshore Drive between McCracken Street and Laketon Avenue in Muskegon is nearing completion. The road is in the main corridor between the city’s downtown and Lake Michigan. It sees significant traffic all year, but especially during summer months. However this summer, beachgoers have avoided Lakeshore Drive and the 30 plus businesses in the Lakeside Business District that line the street.
"Tough to lose a summer," said Dick Ghezzi, Owner of Ghezzi's Market.
Since April Lakeshore Drive has been down to one lane of traffic. Ghezzi says that’s likely the reason sales at his market are off about 30%.
Even now as the road project is nearing completion customers can’t access the store’s parking lot from Lakeshore Drive.
"We do have people coming in from the back alley and that does help,” Ghezzi said. “It’s slow."
Muskegon’s Director of Public Works Leo Evans says the second lane of Lakeshore Drive is expected to be poured and set into place sometime in the next two weeks. Workers are currently setting new street curbs.
The $6 million project includes a new road surface and replacing two large water mains under the road. When completed there will be new street lighting, crosswalks, benches and landscaping.
"We tried to do everything,” Evans said. “We did not want to come back and work on this road for 30 to 40 years."
City leaders decided to do the work in one year, opting not to break it up into several smaller projects that would have taken multiple years to complete.
"The scale of the project was too big to fit in an off tourist season without breaking it up into three or four years worth of construction,” Evans said. “The thought was to bite it all off at once."
This fall more than 100 trees will be planted along Lakeshore Drive. Final landscaping work will finish in the spring of 2020. The city of Muskegon is planning an event in May to celebrate completion of the project.
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