M-26 Construction Project

Details were unveiled yesterday for the three-mile-long M-26 road construction project which will occur in Franklin Township from the Portage Lake Lift Bridge to Sixth Street in Dollar Bay. Construction is slated to begin later this month but they have begun relocating utilities like phone lines. From the bridge to Military Road, the project will widen the roadway from two to three lanes with a center left-turn lane and realign the route with shallower curves. The idea comes from a safety analysis that showed the dangers of those curves. The remainder of the roadway, from Military Road to Sixth Street, will be re-paved because of poor road conditions. As a part of the project, Slattery Road will be closed permanently from Second Street to M-26. MDOT plans to maintain traffic throughout construction for the estimated 8,000 drivers per day, trying to limit delays that they believe should not exceed 10 minutes. The project will cost $6.7 million and will be supported through state and federal funds. MDOT says the project should be completed sometime in October.