By By RANDI K. PICKLEY / Niles Daily Star
NILES - The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has announced plans for road repair and expansions that will affect Niles residents.
Lucio G. Ramos, Delivery Engineer at the Coloma Transportation Center, was in attendance at a round table presentation held at the MDOT garage on U.S. 12 yesterday. He defined the parameters of the planned projects for 2005, listing a three-part schedule of street widening and re-surfacing that will affect Niles drivers on M-51 between Main and Pucker streets.
According to Ramos, the roadwork will begin Monday, May 2 of this year on M-51. Throughout the proposed project, southbound traffic will continue as usual. However, the northbound lane will have detours to contend with.
Three phases of detours are scheduled between May 2 and Oct. 28 of this year.
Phase one from May 2 to June 8:
From M-51 turn east (right) onto M-60 E.
From M 60 E. turn north (left) onto 17th Street.
From 17th Street turn west (left) onto Lake Street until it re-joins M-51.
The detour route for this phase was chosen to minimize traffic problems for Northside School while it finishes out the school year.
Phase two from June 8 to Aug. 26:
From M-51, turn west (right) onto business U.S. 12 E.
From business U.S. 12 E. turn north (right) onto Old 31's business route.
From Old 31 turn northeast (right) onto Ullery Road.
After the curve that becomes Pucker Street, turn (right) onto the east fork of Pucker Street until it re-joins M-51.
Phase three from Aug. 26 to Oct.28:
Two way traffic from Lake to Pucker streets will be restored with occasional lanes being blocked to allow the final course of re-surfacing.
Drivers who want current information as to what is transpiring can visit the MDOT website at michigan.gov/mdot. Look on the right side for "quick links" and select "lane closure report." The information is updated several times a day.
To ask questions or hear comments from other local drivers, MDOT is offering an Open House on Wednesday, April 20 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Niles Fire Department located at 1345 E. Main St. in Niles.
For further information, call Lucio Ramos at (269) 849-1783, Neal VanderWerven at (269) 849-1496, or Sarah Woolcock at (269) 849-2460.