Saginaw Street will be closed between First Street and Kearsley Street beginning Monday, March 11, 2024, as the final phase of the city’s downtown brick restoration and infrastructure project gets underway.
The project will see the restoration of Flint’s main thoroughfare “brick-by-brick” as well as upgrades to all underground utilities from Court Street to the Flint River, including water main replacement, electrical upgrades, running conduits for lights and meters, the replacement of two gas mains, tree grates, and “80-90% of the sidewalks” along Saginaw Street.
Work first broke ground in April 2023 and is expected to be completed by early August 2024.
Brick and pavement removal will begin March 11, and replacement of the segment’s roughly 100-year-old water main will begin towards the end of the week and is expected to take five to six weeks. The project also includes replacement of all water service lines connecting downtown businesses to the main.
Navigating the Restoration Work
The city’s press release notes that Saginaw Street will be open for local traffic and deliveries between Second and First Streets, but northbound Saginaw Street traffic must turn at Second Street and southbound traffic must turn at Kearsley Street.
First Street will be open for local traffic only between Harrison and Beach Streets, with full street closure after Brush and Buckham Alleys. Access to both alleys will remain open throughout construction.
Beginning later this month or early April and continuing through project completion in early August 2024, Saginaw Street will be closed from First Street to First Avenue, and Kearsley Street will be closed to through-traffic at Saginaw.
Kearsley Street will otherwise be open for local traffic only between Harrison and Beach Streets, with full street closure after Brush and Buckham Alleys.
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is providing about $2.3 million in funding for the project, while the City of Flint’s Major Roads Fund is contributing $3.4 million. An additional $2.8 million from the federal Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN Act) is funding the replacement of the 12-inch water main under the roadway.
On March 8, city officials shared a document outlining anticipated work and street closures through the end of the project. That document can be viewed here.
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