HOUGHTON, MI— The current detour around the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) rebuilding project on US-41 in Houghton is scheduled to be lifted Friday, Nov. 11.
Beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, normal traffic will resume on northbound and southbound US-41. Temporary stoplights on the Sharon Avenue detour will be deactivated and go to flash mode. The signals will be replaced by flashing beacons at Military Road and Gundlach Road as these intersections return to four-way stop conditions, which existed previously.
The traffic configuration was expected to be changed in August, but more extensive excavation work for underground utilities took longer than expected. Additionally, an old mineshaft was discovered and needed to be capped. This delayed paving and required the detour extension.
MDOT and the City of Houghton are investing about $9.6 million to rebuild 1.1 miles of US-41. This year’s work focused on the segment from Isle Royale Street to Pearl Street and included widening College Avenue to add a center left-turn lane, storm sewer improvements, and city sanitary sewer and water main replacements. Work on East Montezuma Avenue was also included. Based on economic modeling, this investment is expected to directly and indirectly support 114 jobs.
Some water and sewer work, grading and restoration at the Franklin Square area remains to be completed next year. MDOT anticipates about five to six weeks of work remaining on the project, all of which should be able to be accomplished using lane shifts without a detour of northbound or southbound US-41.
The project began in 2021 and is expected to be completed in summer 2023.
