Marquette’s Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve the design for rebuilding Division Street from Genesee Street to Joliet Road, a project that will narrow the road, add a separated path for walkers and bikers, and replace the water and sewer lines underneath it. Construction is expected to start in early 2027.
What is changing
The plan removes parking from one side of the street and narrows the roadway to make room for the path, WZMQ 19 News reported. Crews will replace old water and sewer lines at the same time. The meeting ran about an hour and a half and included presentations from the city engineer and the land bank director, according to TV6.
Commission chair Kevin Clegg said the project is about more than pavement. “There’s been a lot of potholes and problems on that road and we’re using the opportunity to replace water mains that have existed since the 1800s, and there’s going to be a new multi-use path,” he told WZMQ. TV6 described the water mains as nearly a century old. Clegg also said a smoother road toward the ski hill and the area’s recreation sites would help a lot of people, and would give people coming into the city from the south, from Gwinn, a nicer way in.
Timeline and cost
Construction is expected to begin in early 2027, and there is no timeline yet for how long it will take. Property owners along the street will get a questionnaire from the city about access to their homes and businesses.
The City Commission set aside $2.4 million for Division Street, from Genesee to Joliet, in the 2027 budget it adopted unanimously in October, The Mining Journal reported. The same budget raises water, sewer, stormwater and trash rates, for an average cumulative increase of about $8.24 a month, or about $99 a year. City Manager Karen Kovacs said the increases come from improving and maintaining infrastructure, along with contractual increases.
The Daily Marquette also led its Nov. 11 edition with the commission vote.
