Tag Archives: 44th Street

Wyoming residents rally around ‘Knight of 44th Street’ to keep him in the community

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, Our Cities, Recreation, , , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wkrtv.org

When Wyoming resident Matthew Gould posted his neighbor’s 10-foot suit of armor statue for sale, he wasn’t expecting the type of community outpouring that would cause his phone to ding constantly throughout the day.

“I don’t think after I posted the listing that I was even able to close my phone before it started dinging,” he said.

The ‘”Knight of 44th Street” is a familiar symbol to many residents traveling along 44th Street. (Photo courtesy of Matthew Gould)

Few who have driven 44th Street heading east from U.S. 131 have missed the 10-foot statue sitting on the lawn of the Zoet home. According to Mabel Zoet, her husband Nelson, who was an auctioneer, often traveled to Laredo, Texas, where he would purchase the suits of armor statues, which were made in Mexico. He then would sell the seven-foot statues, she said.

“One day a friend said to him ‘Why don’t you put up a 10-foot one up?’” Zoet said. “So he put one up next to the flagpole.”

That was about 30 years ago, Zoet said. Now after 58 years in their home, Zoet is looking to downsize. So she decided to put the “tin man” up for sale, never realizing how much of a symbol it had become to the community and her neighbors.

“[I] used to live down the block from ‘my knight in shining armor,’” wrote Ruth Ann S. on the Grand Rapids Online Garage Sale Facebook page.

Fida K. wrote “I used to see this as my parents drove by that house as a young child!! I love/still love him!! Such an icon! Please keep him!”

“Oh I’m so sad to see this for sale,” wrote Amber M. “I remember walking past that thing when I was a little girl on the way to school and imagining the things we could do if we were inside it.”

“It’s like the only cool thing on 44th Street,” wrote John F.

In fact, so many people thought the statue was too “cool” to be moved that they encouraged a GoFundMe campaign to purchase the statue to keep it in the community. In less than 24 hours, the $500 was raised to purchase it.

For more than 30 years, the suit of armor statue has been on the Zoet property located along 44th Street just east of US-131. (Photo courtesy of Matthew Gould)

Gould said the task now will be to find a new home for the statue.

 

“I feel like this needs to be put up in a park nearby or even downtown with a little plaque ‘The Knight of 44th St.’” wrote DK. “Crazy how this was something of significance to a lot of us growing up!”

Alex C. agreed. “This is a landmark icon, we need to preserve this art. Make it known, put the man’s name on a plaque at least.”

For now, Zoet said the statue can stay in her yard. Gould, who lives next door to Zoet, said his yard is also available until a permanent home can be found. Gould said he plans to reach out to city officials in 2022 as he works to secure the statue’s new home.

“…He was a childhood icon for me when my parents would take me to C’s Dairy and Dogs for the car shows,” wrote Josh W. “I’m forever thankful for this guy no matter where he goes.”

44th Street bridge over U.S. 131 closed for maintenance

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, , ,
The 44th Street bridge over U.S. 131 is temporarily closed due to maintenance.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

The 44th Street SW bridge over U.S. 131 will be closed to through traffic staring today, July 23, through 6 a.m. Monday, July 26. The closure is due to maintenance.

U.S. 131 traffic will be allowed to turn right fro the freeway exits on 44th Street but will not be able to turn left and cross the bridge. Traffic on 44th Street will be directed to turn before the bridge and yes the next exit, either 36th Street or 54th Street.

 

All work is weather dependent. The project is being lead by the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Other road projects in the city include resurfacing work on Wilson Avenue, both northbound and southbound lanes. Currently, traffic is now routed to the outer lanes while the contractor performs concrete restoration on the median islands.

For more on road projects in the City of Wyoming, click here. 

Water main break on 44th Street closes eastbound lanes in Kentwood

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By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Crews in Kentwood are working to repair a water main break in front of Crestwood Middle School that has closed both eastbound lanes of 44th Street between Walnut Hills and Walma Avenue.

Traffic is being shifted to maintain one lane in each direction on the westbound side between Walnut Hills and Walma Avenue only. All traffic heading west on 44th Street approaching the site is being detoured north on Shaffer, west on 32nd and then back south on Breton. Traffic heading south on Shaffer will only be able to turn east onto 44th Street.

All drivers, but especially large trucks, are asked to avoid the area if possible. 

Though unrelated, the water main break is within a construction zone for a street resurfacing project for 44th Street from Breton to Shaffer. While that project is underway, traffic had been shifted one lane in each direction on the eastbound side. Outside of the area impacted by the water main break, traffic continues one way each direction on the eastbound side only. 

The water main break repair is expected to be completed this evening. Crews anticipate they will be able to reopen the lanes by 5 p.m. Thursday, May 14.

Westbound lane of 44th Street in Kentwood to be closed for the weekend due to repairs

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If you are heading along 44th Street this weekend you might run into a little bit of a delay.

 

Starting at 5 p.m. today, the City of Kentwood will be closing westbound 44th Street for repairs from Middlebury Drive to Shaffer Avenue. The repairs include a culvert extension that was part of the 44th Street rehabilitation project from last year, according to staff.

 

The project is expected to be completed over the weekend with the westbound 44th Street reopening by 7 a.m. Monday. The eastbound lane of 44th Street will not be affected by the construction and will not be closed.

 

During construction hours, motorists are encouraged to find an alternate route or to use the posted detour.

Road work causes Kentwood to shutdown westbound 44th Street

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The City of Kentwood will be closing westbound 44th Street between Breton Avenue and Walma Avenue for repairs beginning June 23. Eastbound 44th Street is unaffected and will remain fully open.

Westbound 44th Street will close at 7 p.m. on Friday night until Saturday morning to minimize impact on travelers. Westbound 44th Street will reopen late Saturday morning to one-lane through Sunday evening. All lanes are expected to open Sunday evening. Eastbound traffic will not be affected.

During construction hours, motorists are encouraged to find an alternate route or to use the posted detour.

44th Street to be closed this weekend, traffic will be re-routed

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, , ,

If you are planning to head down 44th Street, you might want to consider an alternate route as the road will be closed between Breton Road and Walma Avenue Saturday and Sunday, May 20 and 21.

Kentwood Assistant City Engineer Dan VanderHeide said the reason for the closure is so that contractors for the development at Holland Home’s Breton Ridge can install gas and water lines to the site’s newest building located near the corner of 44th Street and Breton Woods Drive. The water and gas services need to go under 44th Street which means the contractor will have to cut the road open to put the service lines in place, VanderHeide said.

Lane closures to accommodate the construction was not possible because of the  44th Street median which made it difficult to re-route traffic. It was decided the best way to handle the project was to close the street over a weekend, he said.

“There is not a time when 44th Street isn’t busy, but the weekend is when it is less busy,” VanderHeide said.

While the street is closed, cars and trucks will be detoured separately. Cars will be redirected through the roundabout using Breton Road and Walma Avenue, while trucks will be detoured north using Breton Road, 32nd Street and Shaffer Avenue.

Kentwood makes emergency repairs at 44th and Division, drivers should seek alternate routes

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If your travel plans involve heading in or near the intersection of 44th Street and Division Avenue in the next few days, you might want to find alternative plans.

 

The City of Kentwood will be making emergency road repairs at the intersection due to a broken manhole cover.

 

According to a release from the city, one eastbound lane of 44th Street will be closed for up to three days while city staff make the repairs. Those traveling through the intersection should expect delays and if at all possible are encouraged to find an alternative route.

Traffic light in Kentwood scheduled to be replaced

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breton

 

 

 

If your route this week requires you to go through the intersection of 44th Street and Breton Avenue, you might want to find an alternative.

 

For one day only – Wednesday, Dec. 7 – the Kentwood intersection will become a four-way stop while the traffic signal is replaced.

 

“The City of Grand Rapids was able to put in for a federal grant to fund the replacement work at the intersection,” said Tim Bradshaw, City of Kentwood’s Director of Engineering and Inspections. “Grand Rapids owns about an eighth of the intersection and Kentwood owns about seven-eighths of it.

 

“Grand Rapids was able to get about 80 percent in federal funding which helps significantly in creating a better, safer intersection.”

 

The equipment at the intersection was between 25to 30 years old, according Bradshaw. The signal heads and wiring are scheduled to be replaced with work at the intersection having started earlier this week.

 

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the 44th Street and Breton Avenue intersection will be a four-way stop. Commuters passing through that intersection should follow the rules of the road for a four-way stop. Those rules includes yielding to the driver on your right if both vehicles come to the intersection at the same time and yielding to a driver who is at the intersection before you.

 

“We do expect traffic will get backed up there,” Bradshaw said, adding that the work may be done sooner depending on weather. Weather forecasts are indicating snow in the morning which could slow workers down, Bradshaw said.

Construction work scheduled for 44th street, near airport

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, Hard News, , , ,

44thmap

Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

 

Those heading to and from the Gerald R. Ford International Airport might want to add a few extra minutes to their travel time. Starting July 5, the City of Kentwood will be working on 44th Street between Broadmoor Avenue (M-37) to Patterson Avenue.

 

“Forty-fourth Street is the entrance way to Kentwood and the region,” said Kentwood’s Assistant City Engineer Dan VanderHeide, who noted that anyone who has driven on that section of road recently would have noticed it was in poor condition. “We want it to be welcoming to folks to the area.”

 

VanderHeide said one lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained at all times with patrons having access to the airport during the entire construction project. The project is scheduled to be completed in September.

 

The almost $1.9 million project will include milling out the full eight inche of asphalt and replacing it with a new concrete surface. An extended right-turn lane will be added on westbound 44th Street at Broadmoor Avenue and irrigation will be added to the existing median islands. VanderHeide said irrigation will help to green up the medians and there are plans in the future to add trees.

 

The project also includes improving the entrance way to Hearthside Food Solutions. The company applied for and received a $64,444 in Category A Transportation Economic Development Funds (TEDF) from the Michigan Department of Transportation.

 

“Because we oversee 44th Street, we are the ones who will handle the work for Hearthside,” VanderHeide said. “It is just a coincidence that both projects [Heartside Food Solutions and the 44th Street rehabilitation] came to be at the same time.”

 

About a million dollars of the project will be funded through the FHWA in Surface Transportation Program Fund with the City of Kentwood paying for the remaining $758,283. Kentwod-based contractor Kamminga & Roodvoets was awarded the work by MDOT.

 

“I am proud of our team and our community partners who successfully gained the necessary capital which will allow for a major corridor within our community to be greatly improved,” noted Mayor Stephen Kepley.

 

Forty-fourth Street was made a boulevard in 1979. It was last rehabilitated in 2004.

 

VanderHeide said other than the 44th Street project this summer, the city does have scheduled the replacement of four traffic lights at the intersections of 32nd Street and Shaffer Avenue; 52nd Street and Eastern Avenue; 44th Street and Kalamazoo Avenue; and 44th Street and Breton Avenue.

 

Kentwood just completed a rehabilitation project on Walnut Hills Drive from 44th Street to Pffeiffer Woods Dr. SE.