ISHPEMING — Another roundabout is being constructed in Marquette County.

Area residents and business owners gathered at the Ishpeming Multi-Purpose Senior Center for a presentation on a project that will change traffic at a major intersection Monday.

The Michigan Department of Transportation gave information about the $6.4 million project. It will be a modern roundabout at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Lakeshore Drive.

Work includes asphalt rebuilding, drainage work, guardrail, retaining walls, lighting, signs, pavement markings, bridge widening with steel beams, deck replacement, bridge barrier construction and approach work.

The roundabout design will have multi-lanes, high-speed approaches and pedestrian and non-motorized traffic.

According to MDOT, the intersection has a history of severe crashes. As of 2017, the intersection had the highest level of crash severity in the Upper Peninsula.

Some project challenges MDOT pointed out included constraints from the bridge over Carp River, the railroad overpass, impacts to hotel property and maintaining traffic flow.

The project is scheduled to begin this fall and conclude in late October 2024 with four main construction phases in 2024.

≤ Phase one will begin this fall with the north side of Lakeshore Drive widened to make room for the roundabout.

≤ Phase two will begin in spring 2024 with the south side of Lakeshore Drive closed and detours put in place to assist with traffic flow.

≤ Phase three will begin in 2024, adding lanes around the roundabout.

≤ Phase four will replace the center of the intersection and the roundabout will be complete.

MDOT communications representative Dan Weingarten said in an email that preliminary traffic signal work is under way near the intersection as of now to prepare for the start of construction work within the next couple of weeks.

The project will also have three detour routes throughout the construction phase.

There will be a detour route at North Lakeshore Drive, South Lakeshore Drive for truck drivers and another South Lakeshore Drive detour for passenger vehicles. A detoured route will be in place in order to access the hospital during construction.

Any questions can be directed to Weingarten at weingartend@michigan.gov.