Progress seen on Third Street updated streetlight project

by Angie Asam, Staff Writer

With just about a week of work in, the crew of Cordes Excavating has been moving right along with the streetlight project in downtown Rogers City. Halfway through the first day, the crews had removed all of the old streetlights on the east side of Third Street. All of the brick pavers have been removed and slabs of concrete have been taken out where new light poles will be installed. The crew have begun pouring concrete bases for the brick pavers, a new concept intended to keep the pavers from sinking as they did in the past.

?The concrete bed is to help to prevent the settlement problem of the brick pavers that we had before. There is a weep hole that they have in there so that moisture will still drain out below and prevent the bricks from popping up due to freezing of moisture. It?s a good plan. MDOT (Michigan Department of Transportation) has approved it and it has been done successfully in other places, including Cheboygan,? said city manager Mark Slown.

The biggest question in the minds of the workers, Slown, the engineers and others involved is how to keep the street lighted while the contractors continue working. Slown said that the engineers and contractor are asking the city to consider bringing in some temporary lights which would allow them to continue taking the old lights down and work to installation of the new lights. Slown is wa

iting to see an example to make sure the temporary lights would provide enough illumination. Slown said they may be conducting a test in the next few days.

If the crews need to finish one side of the street before moving to the other side, the project may be delayed a bit. The crews are trying to keep the sidewalks open as much as possible including plywood over openings in the sidewalk to make it safer for the public. Slown believed that the new light bases and electrical work could begin Wednesday and the new poles will be put up when they arrive, tentatively scheduled for the first week in December.

The weather is a concern for construction this time of year but the city did not receive approval to proceed from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) the granting agency for the project until Oct. 6. As soon as the city did get that approval to move ahead, they did the best they could to move the project along as quickly as possible, but it?s a slow process. The electrical work will be installed by horizontal boring. An adjustment was made to the bid specifications as the electricians provided an alternative conduit, which may save the city some money and allow more funds to be available for banners and Christmas decorations for the new streetlights.

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