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GOING WITH THE FLOW

Negaunee enters into agreement with MDOT to construct new water main

NEGAUNEE — The city of Negaunee is moving forward with the construction of a new water main through the U.S. 41 rock-cut between Croix Street and Chippewa Drive.

According to a Negaunee City Council special meeting agenda supplement, the eight-inch water main will be installed to allow a looped water supply of the Chippewa-Iroquois Court neighborhood as part of a Michigan Department of Transportation U.S. 41 mill and overlay project scheduled to begin in September.

The new water main allows for a looped water supply that is expected to improve water reliability to the Chippewa-Iroquois Court neighborhood.

The council voted unanimously at a recent special meeting to enter into an agreement with MDOT for a not-to-exceed amount of $331,230 to construct the 683-foot water main, which will extend from the east approach of Croix Street near the Fox Negaunee dealership along U.S. 41 to Chippewa Drive.

The council also approved an agreement not to exceed $18,500 with Tri-Media Consultants to manage oversight for the installation of the water main.

Negaunee City Manager Jeff Thornton said the water main will be completed in conjunction with a $3.6 million MDOT mill and overlay project to be completed during the 2017 construction season.

“MDOT has incorporated what Tri-Media has designed and DEQ has permitted into their project,” Thornton said. “Tri-Media will be doing a limited amount of construction oversight, since MDOT is not in the business of doing water mains.”

Thornton said the way the project is being handled is similar to the water main replacement during the Ishpeming roundabout project last summer.

According to MDOT Superior Region communications representative Dan Weingarten, the entire mill and overlay project is scheduled to begin in May, with completion expected in September.

The MDOT project will start approximately 900 feet east of Water Street and continue about 1.7 miles to the east ending 500 feet east of Iroquois Drive, Weingarten said.

The scope of the project consists of cold milling – grinding the top surface of the U.S. 41 roadway, asphalt resurfacing, curb and gutter replacement, drainage upgrades, pavement marking and sign upgrades.

Weingarten said the M-28 business route approach at Teal Lake Avenue will be reconstructed for 180 feet south of U.S. 41 as well.

Traffic on US-41/M-28 will be maintained on the center three lanes — one lane in each direction — with a center left-turn lane, during the drainage upgrades and curb and gutter replacement, Weingarten said.

During the paving work, Weingarten said, traffic shifts will be used with one lane of traffic maintained in each direction.

Weingarten said that during the M-28 Business Route approach reconstruction, traffic shifts will be used with one lane of traffic maintained in each direction.

In addition to traffic being reduced to one lane in each direction throughout the project, there will be brief cessations of traffic flow along the rock-cut for safety reasons, Weingarten said.

“Motorists should expect intermittent, short-term closures during a two-week period in the summer for some rock blasting needed for the water main construction on US-41,” Weingarten said.

Weingarten said all costs for the project are estimated as there is no contractor on board yet. MDOT will let out for bids in April.

Future project information will be available at www.michigan.gov/drive. Updates will also be posted via Twitter @MDOT_UP.

Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242.

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