—Pictured: Sue Parker, Escanaba DDA Chairman, business owner—
Expanded construction planned for Ludington Street this summer will be a major disruption for downtown Escanaba, but local leaders say the work is necessary.
During a special meeting Thursday, the Escanaba City Council accepted a bid from Barley Trucking and Excavating in Menominee to complete construction on Ludington Street from 9th Street to 16th Street. A separate contractor will handle construction from 6th to 9th Streets.
Sue Parker, chair of the Escanaba Downtown Development Authority and owner of Nyman Jewelers, said the project is long overdue.
“This is going to affect a lot of businesses downtown,” Parker said. “But this is something that has to be done. The infrastructure needs to be replaced and repaired. It’s a big project.”
City officials, along with the DDA, C2AE and Barley Trucking will meet with affected business owners and residents on Wednesday, April 15 at 3 p.m. at city hall to discuss the impacts for the 9th to 16th Street portion of the project. A similar meeting was held earlier in March for the 6th to 9th Street section.
The Escanaba DDA is contributing $300-thousand to help the city match a RAP 2.0 grant from the state and another $500-thousand toward construction through 10th Street.
As construction moves forward, many businesses, like Parker’s in the 900 block, will need to figure out how they might be able to better serve customers. For example, her business does not have a backdoor that the public can use.
“We are going to have to make some changes as far as people coming in our back door versus our front door. It’s something we are going to have to work out,” she said.
During construction, access will remain open to businesses and residents on Ludington Street, though city officials say it may be limited at times, especially during sidewalk work.
The project will also bring changes to the streetscape. Between Lake Shore Drive and 10th Street, improvements include wider sidewalks, curb bump outs and a dedicated bike lane. From 10th to 16th Streets, the layout will remain structurally the same but parking will shift from angled to parallel. The bike lane will continue through 16th Street.
“Taking bikes off the sidewalks will help pedestrian traffic,” Parker said.
Construction is also expected to impact several downtown events, including the Ludington Street Cruise, May 29-30, and Escanaba LogJam Music Festival, June 27. Private activities such as the monthly Muscle on Main outside of Cat-Man-Do’s Bar & Grill will also be affected.
The work on Ludington Street is part of Escanaba’s broader Clean Water State Revolving Fund project, supported by nearly 19 million dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act. Improvements include sewer upgrades, road work, sidewalks and water mains.
Construction is expected to begin soon.
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