By WKTV Staff
greer@wktv.org
The City of Kentwood has announced its tentative road construction and maintenance schedule for the summer.
The $9.7 million reconstruction, resurfacing and maintenance program has been approved by the City Commission and includes improvements to approximately 27.5 miles of major and local roads. Work is expected to begin this month and be completed by the end of October.
Planned street reconstruction, resurfacing and maintenance projects
- Full reconstruction of 52nd Avenue SE from Kalamazoo Avenue to Breton Avenue.
- Full reconstruction of Meadowlane Drive SE.
- Other preventative street maintenance work throughout the city, including routine street marking, crack sealing and patching.
Message boards on major streets will give drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists advance notice of when closures will begin.
“We are committed to ensuring Kentwood has quality roads, which contribute to public safety and sound city infrastructure,” City Engineer Brad Boomstra said. “We know construction can cause disruptions to daily life, so our contractors will work diligently to minimize the impact felt by our community.
“We appreciate the support of our residents and businesses as we complete this critical work to improve our roads.”
The full reconstruction project on 52nd Street will begin this month and include a new water main on the north side of the street, new asphalt pavement surface on the roadway and a new traffic signal at the intersection of 52nd Street and Stauffer Avenue.
During construction, 52nd Street will remain open to one-way traffic in the eastbound direction only. Westbound traffic will need to follow a posted detour using Kalamazoo Avenue, 44th Street and Breton Avenue.
Meadowlane Drive project
The Meadowlane Drive project also will begin this month and include a new concrete curb and gutter, new concrete sidewalks and concrete driveway approaches, asphalt pavement surface on the roadway, storm sewer installation, water main installation and sanitary sewer installation. Meadowlane Drive will remain open throughout construction to residents and their guests. At times, access to properties may be from a single direction on a one-way gravel lane. There will be times throughout the project where driveways will be inaccessible and residents will need to park on the street.
Property owners affected by the 52nd Street and Meadowlane Drive projects were informed by letter. Mail delivery and trash pickup will not be disrupted.
Patching and sealing in June
Patching and crack sealing work will take place on several neighborhood streets in June to prepare them for cape sealing in August. Cape sealing is designed to create a smooth surface with increased durability. Cape seal projects take two non-consecutive days, with the cape seal treatment requiring up to a few hours to dry before being ready for traffic.
Homeowners in the neighborhoods where these projects will take place will be informed by letter. Residents are asked to drive slowly during the road work and follow the crew’s instructions for the best access to their homes. On-street parking will not be allowed during cape sealing.
The City’s road maintenance decisions are based on a variety of data, including ratings from the annual Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating system, or PASER. This rating system provides a basis for comparing the quality of roadway segments and assigns a rating of 1-10 for road pavement conditions based on visual inspections, with 10 representing good and 1 poor.
Kentwood maintains one of the highest-rated major street networks in Kent County, according to data compiled by the Grand Valley Metro Council that is based on PASER ratings.
Last year, the City invested in improvements to 30 miles of major and local roads. Major streets included in the 2022 reconstruction, resurfacing and maintenance program were:
- East Paris Avenue SE from 28th Street to 36th Street
- Jefferson Avenue SE from 44th Street to Montebello Street
- Burton Street SE from East Paris Avenue to Patterson Avenue
For more information, including a map of street resurfacing and repairs, visit kentwood.us/construction. Community members can sign up to be notified when construction updates are added to the City’s website and receive updates via Facebook and Twitter.
