By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
If 28th Street is your major route through the City of Wyoming, over the next five months you might want to start looking for some alternate routes.
In the spring of 2022, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) plans to resurface about five miles of the roadway from Church Avenue in Grandville (just east of the I-196 interchange) to the U.S. 131 interchange in Wyoming.
According to John Richards, MDOT Communications for the Grand region, the project will include upgrading the sidewalks to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance and resurfacing of 28th Street.
“Resurfacing will make 28th Street really nice,” Richards said. “It will make it ride and look like a brand new road.”
Tentatively plans call for the sidewalk upgrades to be done from about mid-April to June with there being single-lane closures during the day. From about mid-July to October will be the resurfacing project which will include single-lane closures and double-lane closures at night.
“28th Street has great drainage which allows for it to be only resurfacing,” Richards said.
At its Monday night meeting, the City of Wyoming authorized its portion of the project, which was around $114,000. Federal funds will cover about $3 million of the project. According to Richards, engineers estimated the project at $3.9 million with Rieth-Riley Construction, which has a facility in Wyoming, the lowest bidder at $4.4 million.
“Like everyone else we have had a ripple effect on personal shortages, supply shortages, and scheduling conflicts,” Richards said, adding that for the 2020 season most of the MDOT projects were not impacted. “In the case of the 28th Street project, which is a resurfacing, it is fairly straight forward and won’t be impacted by those issues.”
Sidewalk upgrades along 28th Street were made in 2009 followed by a resurfacing in 2011. In 2013, MDOT did crack-sealing maintenance on the road.
The work along 28th Street is scheduled to continue in 2023 with resurfacing on 28th Street from Division to Kalamazoo avenues.
