The Michigan Department of Transportation and the City of Houghton are investing $416,000 in improvements on US-41, Bridge Street and Quincy Street to support a planned Portage Lake Lift Bridge project. Starting Sept. 8, the work will include a left-turn lane on Montezuma Avenue (southbound US-41) and repaving of Bridge and Quincy streets, with a temporary traffic signal to be installed at the Quincy Street and northbound US-41 intersection before bridge construction begins.
Once the signal is installed, traffic will be rerouted from Montezuma Avenue to Shelden Avenue via Bridge and Quincy streets to manage congestion during various phases of the bridge project.
Motorists should expect lane shifts and single-lane closures on Montezuma Avenue throughout the project. Quincy Street is scheduled to close from US-41/Shelden Avenue to the parking decks from Sept. 21 through Sept. 23, while Bridge Street will remain closed from the parking decks to Montezuma Avenue for the project's duration. All dates are weather dependent.
The agency said the work is expected to directly and indirectly support four jobs.