Flint, Michigan – Starting on Monday, March 11, a section of Saginaw Street in downtown Flint will be shut down from First Street to Kearsley Street. This closure marks the beginning of the last phase of the Saginaw Street brick repair and utility upgrade project, which kicked off in April 2023 and is set to wrap up by early August 2024, the City of Flint said in a press release.
On March 11, crews will start removing old bricks and pavement. Later in the week, they’ll start replacing a water main that’s been under the city for around 100 years. It’s expected that putting in the new water main will take about five to six weeks. Alongside this, the project plans to switch out the water lines that connect the businesses on Saginaw Street to the main water line.
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Even though Saginaw Street will be closed for through traffic, local vehicles and delivery trucks can still use it between Second and First Streets. If you’re driving north on Saginaw Street, you’ll need to turn at Second Street, and if you’re heading south, you’ll have to turn at Kearsley Street.
First Street will only be open to local traffic between Harrison and Beach Streets, and will be fully closed past Brush and Buckham Alleys. However, both alleys will stay accessible during the construction work.
From late March or early April until the project is done in early August 2024, Saginaw Street will be closed from First Street to First Avenue. Kearsley Street will be shut to through traffic right at Saginaw Street but will remain open for local traffic between Harrison and Beach Streets, fully closing after the alleys mentioned earlier.
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The ongoing work on Saginaw Street aims to restore Flint’s historic main road, brick by brick, and to improve all the utilities underground, ranging from Court Street to the Flint River. This includes installing a new water main, updating electrical systems, adding conduits for lighting and meters, and putting in two new gas mains.
Additionally, 80-90% of the sidewalks along Saginaw Street are being replaced, along with all the tree grates. To minimize damage from vehicles, new intersections made of brick-stamped concrete are being installed. The project is also adding ramps that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and paved concrete crossings to make Saginaw Street more accessible.
Funding for this project includes about $2.3 million from the Michigan Department of Transportation, $3.4 million from the City of Flint’s Major Roads Fund, and an additional $2.8 million from the federal Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act for the water main replacement.
More details can be found here.