LANSING — The Michigan Department of Transportation awarded $3.9 million in Transportation Economic Development Fund Category F grants to 11 agencies to support local road rebuilding projects across the state.
Per a Dec. 3 news release, State Transportation Director Bradley C. Wieferich said the grants will help communities improve infrastructure, create jobs and support economic growth.
The Houghton County Road Commission will use its grant to rebuild about 3,000 feet of Erickson Drive from M-26 west. The roadway provides access to a gravel pit waste site, the county transfer station, a power transformer station and logging property.
Officials said the road was not designed for current commercial traffic and has deteriorated to poor condition. Rebuilding it will bring the corridor up to all-season standards and maintain continuity in the county’s all-season road network.
The Erickson Drive project totals $854,952. It is supported by $375,000 in TEDF Category F funding, $385,000 in MDOT Small Urban Funding and $94,952 in matching funds from the Houghton County Road Commission.
The City of Sault Ste Marie will resurface Meridian Street from the I-75 Business Spur to West 8th Avenue. The all-season roadway serves an industrial area, Lake Superior State University and Sanderson Field Airport. The project aims to improve road conditions and ensure safe commercial travel.
The Meridian Street project totals $790,000, with up to $375,000 in TEDF Category F funding and $415,000 in matching funds from the city.