ISHPEMING - The intersection of Main Street and Cleveland Avenue in Ishpeming has been reopened.
With the construction for the Partridge Creek diversion project running along Cleveland Avenue, several of the intersections along the route have been temporarily closed, with the construction beginning at the Main Street intersection earlier in May.
As Main Street is the home to several major events during the July 4 holiday, including the Ishpeming Business Association's Festival of Treasures and the July 4 parade, crews have been working to reopen that street to allow the events to be held as they have been in previous years.
Article Photos
The intersection of Main Street and Cleveland Avenue in Ishpeming is now reopened to traffic, just in time for the Fourth of July festivities in the downtown area. (Journal photo by Johanna Boyle)
"It's open and will continue to be open," said City Manager Jered Ottenwess. "They still need to make some improvements at the intersection."
Although open, the intersection will remain a gravel surface through the Fourth of July and later paved.
"It was critical for everybody," Ottenwess said of getting the Main Street intersection opened.
According to the contract with the city of Ishpeming, the contractor on the project, Oberstar Inc., is only allowed to close two intersections at a time. Now that the Main Street intersection is open, the intersections at First and Second streets are closed. Once the First Street intersection is open, the intersection at Third Street will close, with the project then heading north on Third Street to Hematite Drive, resulting in the closing of several blocks of Third Street later this summer, Ottenwess said.
As construction continues along Cleveland Avenue, Ishpeming businesses are reminding customers that while the street may be closed, the businesses are still very much open.
The businesses on the north side of Cleveland Avenue can be accessed off of Hematite Drive and the south side businesses accessed from Division Street.
Johanna Boyle can be reached at 906-486-4401.