MARQUETTE — A trio of Upper Peninsula municipalities are among more than two dozen statewide to receive state grants for road repair.

The U.P. municipalities include the city of Negaunee, which received $250,000 to repair Hungerford Avenue and West Prince and Ann street; the city of Ironwood also received $250,000 for various streets; while the village of Ahmeek in the Copper Country was granted $101,956 to repair Wright and Hubbell streets.

The program is the Community Service Infrastructure Fund Category B initiative. Established by the state Legislature in 2018 and administered by the Michigan Department of Transportation, it’s considered a stop-gap program to help fund road projects in small communities.

“I ran on fixing the damn roads, and I’m proud to keep my promise and get it done,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a written statement. “This year’s balanced, bipartisan budget makes a record nearly $2 billion annual investment to fix our state and local roads, which will make everyone’s drive safer and faster. We’re getting this done by ensuring every penny you pay at the pump goes toward our roads. I’m so grateful to legislators on both sides of the aisle for coming together to get this done so we can build reliable roads that last for decades while supporting tens of thousands of good-paying local jobs. We have a lot of work to do, so let’s move some dirt and fix those damn roads!”  

Successful projects were selected, in part, because they are paired with planned infrastructure work, coordinated with other road agencies, focused on extending the useful life of the road and have limited other funding sources. Grant awards ranged from $50,000 to $250,000 for road resurfacing, culvert replacement, pavement crack sealing and other preservative measures. 

Bud Sargent can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 544. His email address is bsargent@miningjournal.net.