GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — The next phase of US-31 bridge work has begun in Ottawa County. Starting Wednesday, the southbound lanes will be split. Drivers will be able to exit at Third Street at Ferrysburg/Spring Lake, or continue south. The traffic will be crossed over to the northbound side of the road.
The traffic shift means it may be slow moving for drivers.
“They replaced the metal grating on northbound last year,” said John Richard, communications for MDOT, “So, this year is why we've switched over to the northbound side, so we can work on the southbound metal grating and the bascule bridge.”
The previous phase of this project impacted businesses in the area. For Josh Sandberg, owner and chef of The Paisley Pig, the phase “really hurt us.”
“We saw about a 50% drop in our business for those two months,” said Sandberg, “All the way until the 23rd of December. Normally that’s our busy time.”
Sandberg is optimistic this round of construction will be better, but he is still preparing for a change.
“We have to lessen the amount of staff we have on,” said Sandberg, “So that we are not overspending, but also for the service staff so they’re making money.”
The bridge work will pause for the summer months, letting busy tourist traffic resume.
“We're taking the summers off, because that's when traffic really spikes in the summertime,” said Richard, “But you know, either way, no matter what season it is, Grand Haven it's a busy town, and it's gonna bog things down.”
Construction will resume in the Fall. For Sandberg, the summer pause is vital.
“Tourist season, a lot of us in Grand Haven are dependent on the influx of tourists in town,” said Sandberg, “If that was shut down during the summer, I don’t know how places would make it long term.”
Sandberg said support from Grand Haven-area locals will be crucial during this time.
The bridge reconstruction project will continue through 2023.
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