Construction downtown continues to progress rapidly

by Angie Asam, Staff Writer

Cordes Excavating along with Thunder Bay Electric crews have been working very hard during the nice fall weather on the downtown streetlight project. The bases for the new streetlights have been poured, brick pavers have been taken out and are being replaced and electrical wiring is being horizontally bored. The work continues to progress as both sides of the street are being worked on, however, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will not allow the old streetlights on the west side of Third Street to be removed until the new lights are operating on the east side of the road.

The new lights and poles are to be delivered in the first week of December and the prep work continues to move along well as good weather has hit the area recently. A new concrete bed is being placed beneath the brick pavers, an upgraded method that will help to prevent settling. Lee?s Ready Mix of Rogers City is pouring the concrete for the replacement of the brick pavers.

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Once the new poles are installed the city will be looking at Christmas decorations and banners to hang on the new poles. One of the new additions to the shorter poles, which are only 17 feet high, half the height of the lights being replaced, will be bearing five-foot banners, which will be easy to see from a distance.

Although construction has made the downtown a little more difficult to access the work has been moving fast and without much disturbance to businesses, the goal city manager Mark Slown wanted to achieve was having the work done without disrupting businesses a great deal.

In a meeting with the contractors last Wednesday chief of police Matt Quaine indicated that the contractor has not had any problems with people disrupting the work crews and they continue to progress at a good pace.

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