The South Street culvert repair project is COMPLETE! West South Street is now OPEN!

February 22, 2018	Due to ongoing erosion and further damage to the culvert, W. South Street between Green Street and Brookside Drive is CLOSED to all traffic until further notice. The street will remain closed while the structural stability of our infrastructure can be reevaluated.
March 22 18, 2018	Construction and repair of the new culvert are expected to begin Mid-April. Foot traffic on W. South Street will be closed during construction.
April 5, 2018	Construction has begun and is currently in progress. Vehicles and pedestrians are not permitted on W. South St. for safety reasons. Please use caution in this area!
May 13, 2018	The old culvert has been removed and excavation is currently in process to prepare the creek for the new culvert, which is on site and ready for crews to install.
June 14, 2018	The culvert and watermain have been completed and are in place. Crews are working to backfill with sand and prepare for sidewalk and street reconstruction.
June 29, 2018	Final restoration is complete. The road work has been completed as well as seeding and mulching. A final walk-through will be scheduled for next week. W. South St. will tentatively be back open for use by Friday, July 6.
July 5, 2018	All work is complete. West South Street is now open for all traffic and pedestrians. Thank you for your patience and please drive safely. Please note, while the street will remain open, there may be crews completing final restoration efforts in the area.

WHAT HAPPENED?  Last Spring, the structural integrity of the Sandstone Creek culvert under W. South Street was inspected and evaluated. Due to safety concerns, it was determined that the culvert is in need of replacement. After working closely with a city engineer and allocating the necessary financial resources, the new culvert has been designed and City Council awarded the reconstruction project to Youngstrom Contracting, Inc. on February 12, 2018, for the culvert replacement.

WHEN WILL CONSTRUCTION BEGIN?  To begin construction, the City of Grand Ledge had to obtain a Minor Project Permit from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), Water Resources Division. Part of the permit requirements is that "No work or dredging within the water authorized is allowed from March 1 to June 30 due to critical spawning, migration, and/or recreational use periods." In this case, Sandstone Creek is home to northern pike that may be spawning during this time period. Construction is currently scheduled for late Summer 2018 because of this requirement. Due to flooding events last week, growing safety concerns, and further deterioration of the culvert, we have requested reconsideration from MDEQ to begin construction earlier. Updates will be posted online.