By WKTV Staff
The City of Kentwood has announced its tentative road construction and maintenance schedule for the summer.
The $7 million reconstruction, resurfacing and maintenance program has been approved by the City Commission and includes improvements to approximately 41.24 lane miles of major and local roads. Work began in March and is expected to be completed by the end of October.
Planned street reconstruction, resurfacing and maintenance projects include:
- Full reconstruction of Julivan Avenue and Ridgewood Street.
- Crush and shape asphalt, repave 40th Street SE from Patterson Avenue to Soundtech Court.
- Mill and repave East Paris Avenue SE from 28th Street to Burton Street.
- Other preventative street maintenance work throughout the city, including routine street marking, crack sealing and patching.
Message board warnings
Message boards on major streets will give drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists advance notice of when closures will begin.
“The City of Kentwood is committed to ensuring our community 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.”
Julivan Ave. and Ridgewood St. projects underway
The full reconstruction of Julivan Avenue and Ridgewood Street began in March and includes new concrete curb and gutter, driveway approaches and sidewalks, asphalt pavement surface on the roadway, storm sewer installation, water main installation and sanitary sewer installation.
Julivan and Ridgewood will remain open throughout construction to residents on those streets 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 when driveways will be inaccessible and residents will need to park on the street. Construction contractors will communicate directly with residents ahead of these events.
Property owners affected by this project were informed by letter. Mail delivery and trash pickup will not be disrupted.
40th St. project begins in April
The 40th Street project is expected to begin in April and last about six weeks, with construction wrapping up in June. Work will include new asphalt pavement and the addition of a turn lane at 40th Street and Patterson Avenue. Throughout the project, the road will be open to local traffic only. Community members will need to follow a posted detour using 36th Street and East Paris and Patterson avenues.
East Paris Ave. project begins in July
The East Paris Avenue project is expected to begin in July and conclude in October. Work will include a storm sewer repair and a new asphalt surface. Throughout the project, northbound and southbound traffic will be maintained, but will be limited to one lane in both directions. Community members headed westbound using Burton Street will need to follow a posted detour using Lake Drive and East Beltline. Community members headed eastbound using 28th Street will need to follow a posted detour on 29th Street and Aquest Avenue.
Patching and crack sealing work begins in June
Patching and crack sealing work will take place on several neighborhood streets in June to prepare them for cape sealing. Cape sealing creates a smooth surface with increased durability. These projects take two non-consecutive days, with the cape seal treatment requiring up to a few hours to dry before being ready for traffic. Residents in the neighborhoods where these projects will take place will be informed by letter.
Community members 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 compares the quality of roadway segments and assigns a rating for road pavement conditions based on visual inspections. Kentwood maintains one of the highest-rated major street networks in Kent County that is based on PASER ratings, according to data compiled by the Grand Valley Metro Council, which rates Kentwood’s road network annually.
Last year, the City invested in improvements to 27.5 miles of major and local roads. Major streets included in the 2023 reconstruction, resurfacing and maintenance program were:
- 52nd Avenue SE from Kalamazoo to Breton avenues.
- Meadowlane Drive SE.
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 X/Twitter.
