Grand Rapids invests $12.7M in road and sidewalk improvements

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Summer has returned and Grand Rapids residents can expect to see construction on the roads and sidewalks again. This is the city's seventh season of ramped-up road construction.

The City Commission has approved a road construction plan for July through June 2021 that includes another 30 miles of street improvements this year. This will bring the total miles of streets improved over the past six years to 457, according to a press release from the city.

The $10.5 million investment is spread out over 59 locations across the city. In addition, the city plans on investing $2.2 million in various sidewalk repair and construction projects across all three wards this year. 

First Ward – Work is being done in the West Grand Neighborhood through the end of the month. Sidewalk repairs are taking place in the general area bounded by north city limits, Leonard Street NW, Alpine Avenue and the Grand River.

Second Ward – Work will be done in the Highland Park neighborhood. Sidewalk repairs will be within the general area bounded by Leonard Street NE, College Avenue, Eastern Avenue, Diamond Avenue and I-196. Work is scheduled for September through November.

Third Ward – Work will be done in the South East Community and Heritage Hill neighborhoods. Sidewalk repairs will be within the general area bounded by Franklin Street SE, Hall Street, Jefferson Avenue and Eastern Avenue.  Work is scheduled for July through August.

The repair and replacement of sidewalks throughout Grand Rapids neighborhoods are an important part of the Vital Streets program. This summer, the city will:

• Invest $450,000 in the installation of sidewalks on Plainfield Avenue NE from I-96 to the city limits at Salerno. The total Vital Streets investment is $909,391.
• Dedicate $250,000 for American Disabilities Act-compliant ramp improvements on sidewalks across the city
• Reserve $580,000 to address miscellaneous sidewalk repairs and requests
• Focus on systematic sidewalk inspection and repairs totaling $900,000 – $300,000 in each ward – as part of an effort to upgrade complete neighborhoods and improve the existing sidewalk network. Current conditions of sidewalks will dictate how many miles can be inspected and repaired in each ward. The 2020 contract areas are outlined below.

City inspectors will be in each neighborhood marking out the sidewalks to be replaced. Properties that have sidewalk repairs in sections that cross through their driveways will get 48-hour notice posted to their property informing of them of the upcoming work and expected duration the driveway will be unavailable. The duration of work in front of any home will average one week, which includes removal, forming of sidewalks, pouring of concrete and restoration of lawns.

The city provided a partial list of 2020 road construction projects with no start dates set to date. Street projects, listed in alphabetical order, may be carried over to the next construction season. 

A partial list of street paving projects planned by the City’s Public Works Department also is included. 

The city said other locations may be added.

Rotomill/resurfacing

• Auburn Avenue NE – Sweet to north end and Palmer, Dale and Drexel
• Bates Street SE – Union to Eastern
• Benjamin Avenue NE – Bradford to Cedar
• Bradford Street NE – Plymouth to Perkins and Perkins – Bradford to Mason
• Capen Street NE – Eastern to Houseman
• Cass Avenue SE – Delaware to Franklin
• Chatham Street NW – Indiana to Straight
• Chester Street SE – Diamond to Carroll
• Corrine Street SW – Buchanan to Division
• Crescent Street NE – Grand to Fuller
• Davis Avenue NW – Seventh to Eleventh
• Dunham Street SE – Eastern to Fuller
• Eastern Avenue SE – Ardmore to Oakdale
• Eastern Avenue NE – Fountain to Crescent
• Eastern Avenue SE – Hall to Franklin
• Elliott Street SE – Thelma to Nelson
• Hake Road NE – Eastern to Diamond
• Hall Street SE – Division to Jefferson
• Hall Street SE – Plymouth to east city limits
• Henry Avenue SE – Franklin to Sherman
• High Street SW – Grandville to Century
• Holland Avenue NE – Fulton to Fountain
• Houseman Avenue NE – Grand Rapids/Eastern railroad to Hake
• Innes Street NE – Diamond to Fuller
• Jennette Avenue NW – Seventh to Ninth and 11th to 12th
• John Ball Park Drive SW – Butterworth to Park
• Kalamazoo Avenue SE – Hall to Alexander
• Madison Avenue SE – 28th to Burton
• Market Avenue SW – Westbound I-196 on-ramp to 200 feet west of Plaster Creek and Coit to Wealthy
• Mason Street NE – Fuller to Ball
• Meerse Street SE – Division to east end
• Merritt Street SE – Eastern to Blaine
• North Avenue NE – Shirley to Walnut
• Paris Avenue SE – Alger to Ardmore
• Pine Avenue NW – 12th to Leonard
• Prospect Avenue NE – Lyon to Michigan
• Race Street NE – Diamond to Fuller
• Stocking Avenue NW – Bridge to Second
• Third Street NW – Pine to Fremont
• Virginia Street SE – Eureka to Diamond
• Walker Avenue NW – Stocking to Leonard
• Walnut Street NE – North to Union

Other road projects

• Alger Street SE – Madison to Kalamazoo (water main, reconstruction)
• Division Avenue South – Wealthy to Cherry (reconstruction)
• Emerald Avenue NE – Arbor to Leonard (water main, reconstruction)
• Madison Avenue SE – Cottage Grove to Adams (reconstruction)
• Chestnut Street SW – 570 feet west of Godfrey to Godfrey (sewer separation, reconstruction)
• Curve Street SW – Godfrey to E Avenue (sewer separation, reconstruction)
• Eastern Avenue SE – Burton to Ardmore (water main, reconstruction)
• Franklin Street SW – Division to east city limits (water main, resurfacing)
• Fulton Street East – Benjamin to Wallinwood (water main, reconstruction)
• Godfrey Avenue SW – South city limits to Market (sewer separation, reconstruction)
• Griggs Street SE – Plymouth to Hutchinson (water main, reconstruction)
• Hall Street SE – Kalamazoo to east of Sylvan (water main, reconstruction)
• Hall Street SW – Godfrey to Underhill (sewer separation, reconstruction)
• Hastings Street NE – Prospect to College (water main, sanitary and storm sewer, reconstruction)
• Hastings Street NE – Coit to College (non-motorized pathway)
• Trowbridge Street NE extension – North to College and Sinclair – Hastings to Trowbridge extension (new street construction, reconstruction)
• Lake Drive SE – Atlas to east city limits (curb replacement, resurfacing)
• Lake Eastbrook Boulevard SE – East Beltline to 28th Street (water main, reconstruction)
• Lyon Street NE – Mack to Fuller (water main, rotomill/resurfacing)
• Madison Avenue SE – Franklin to Wealthy (water main, sanitary sewer, rotomill/resurfacing)
• Mason Street NW – Monroe to Division (water main, sanitary and storm sewer, reconstruction)
• Norwich Avenue SW – Curve to Hayden (sewer separation, water main, reconstruction, resurfacing)
• Ottawa Avenue NW – Hastings to Newberry (water main, sanitary and storm sewer, reconstruction)
• Ottawa Avenue NW – Mason to Walbridge (water main, sanitary and storm sewer, reconstruction)
• Oxford Street SW – Norwich to Godfrey (sewer separation, reconstruction)
• Prince Street SE – Madison to Eastern (sewer separation, water main, reconstruction)
• Rosewood Avenue SE – CSX railroad to Burton (water main, reconstruction)
• Three Mile Road NE – Fuller to east city limits (bike lanes, sidewalk, resurfacing)
• Tremont Boulevard NW – Covell to Mount Mercy (water main, reconstruction)
• Valley Avenue NW – Fourth to Walker (reconstruction)
• Woodward Lane SE – Sunnybrook to Fulton and Sunnybrook – Woodward to Fulton (water main, resurfacing)    

Public Works Department resurfacing projects:

• Arianna Street NW – Valley to Powers
• Batchawana Street SE – Rosewood to Dawes
• Belknap Avenue NE – Sligh to Conger
• Brenner Street NE – College to Union
• Burke Avenue NE – Malta to Capen
• Burke Avenue NE – Maybelle to Short
• Capen Street NE – Spring to Burke
• Carlton Avenue NE – Sweet to Knapp
• Carrier Creek Boulevard NE– Emerald to Diamond
• Cherry Run Drive NW – Moreland to Longmeadow
• Clover Crest NW – Leonard to Trail
• Coldbrook Street NW – Ottawa to Division
• Cottage Grove Street SE – Jefferson to Madison
• Dawes Avenue SE – Shangri-La to Batchawana
• Deloney Avenue SW – Park to Watson
• Eastern Avenue NE – Knapp to Eleanor
• Edgewood Avenue NE – Knapp to Eleanor
• Edmund Avenue NE – Leonard to Hubert
• Edwin Street NW – Turner to Will
• Emerald Avenue NE – Flat to Arbor
• Euclid Avenue SE – Hall to Home
• Ewing Avenue SE – Kalamazoo to Adams
• Fairbanks Street NE – Coit to Lafayette
• Fairlane Avenue NE – Sweet to N Kentview
• Fay Avenue NW – Leonard to Laughlin
• Fountain Street NE – Houseman to Diamond
• Fremont Avenue NW – Dorothy to Thornapple Court
• Graham Street SW – Oakland to Century
• Graham Street SW – Ionia to Buchanan
• Griggs Street SE – Eastern to Linden
• Hampshire Boulevard SE – Ridgewood to Edgewood
• Herrick Avenue NE – Kentwood Drive to north dead end
• Homer Street NE – Coit to Sligh
• Houseman Avenue NE – Knapp to Eleanor
• Hubert Street NE – Union to Edmund
• Jennette Avenue NW – Dorothy to Sylvia
• Jerome Avenue SW – Burton to Kirtland
• Labelle Street SW – Division to Jefferson
• Langdon Avenue NE – Fountain to Lyon
• Laurel Street SW – Oakland to Grandville
• Lincoln Avenue NW – Leonard to Twelfth
• Lincoln Avenue NW – Walker to Eleventh
• Lincoln Avenue NW – Walker to Atlantic
• Lynch Street SW – Clyde Park to Century
• Matilda Street NE – Ball to Plymouth
• Mason Street NE – Ball to Plymouth
• Maumee Drive SE – Burton to Menominee
• McReynolds Avenue NW – Richmond to north end
• Mount Mercy Drive NW – Bridge to Valley
• Mount Vernon Avenue SW – Fulton to Pearl
• Newark Avenue SE – Elliott to Johnston
• North Avenue NE– Leonard to Page
• Norwood Ave SE – Wealthy to Robinson
• Palace Avenue SW – Burton to Griggs
• Paris Avenue SE – Franklin to Thomas
• Pine Avenue NW – Third to Fourth
• Pleasant Street SW – Grandville to Century
• Powers Avenue NW/Arianna Street NW intersection
• Prince Street SE – College to Union
• Ramona Street SE – Kalamazoo to Silver Creek
• Quarry Avenue NW – Crosby to Webster
• Quigley Boulevard SW – Division to Buchanan
• Richmond Street NW – Walker to Bristol
• Ridgewood Avenue SE – Hampshire to north end
• Rosewood Avenue SE – Batchawana to Shangri-La
• Shamrock Street SW – Grandville to Hall connector
• Shangri-La Drive SE – Kalamazoo to Dawes
• Spring Avenue NE – Malta to Capen
• Spring Avenue NE – Maybelle to Short
• Sylvan Avenue SE – Griggs to Boston
• Tamarack Avenue NW – Walker to Eleventh
• Towner Avenue SW – Burton to Kirtland
• Trail Drive NW – Trailside Court to Hillburn
• Trowbridge Street NE – Fairview to Clancy
• Valley Avenue NW – Lake Michigan to Bridge
• Whispering Way Drive SE – East Paris to private street
• Will Avenue NW – Ann to Nason

Updates on all of the City’s Vital Streets projects are available here or by calling 311 or 616-456-3000.

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