City Project Updates: FishPass, M-22/M-72 Reconstruction

New details on two major upcoming projects were shared by the City of Traverse Monday, including the latest on funding and construction plans for the FishPass project at the Union Street Dam and an update from Michigan Department of Transportation representatives on the planned rebuild of the M-72/M-22 corridor next year from Division Street to Cherry Bend Road.

FishPass
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contractor Spence Brothers Construction have finalized a contract and released new cost estimates for the construction of FishPass at the Union Street Dam property, with site prep work expected to start this spring ahead of a major two-year construction project.

Years of legal delays caused the price tag for FishPass – initially estimated at $19.3 million in 2020 – to rise to $23.2 million, the city announced Monday. That amount is for in-stream or “wet” work at the Union Street Dam site, including dam replacement and fish passage channel development. Major construction is anticipated to begin this June and be complete in 2026.

At the same time, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the city, and other project partners “will finalize costs and funding for the up-land or ‘dry’ project elements,” according to the city, including the construction of an educational facility, landscaping improvements, and universal accessibility upgrades. Dry work is expected to start in 2026, if not sooner.

“It is estimated that the dry work costs will be higher as well when contract re-negotiations occur,” according to the city. “However, between contingency funding of $5.2 million secured, and time and planning for additional funding, the city and Fishery Commission are confident that all project elements will be completed in 2027.”

Site preparation will begin this spring and involve “staking, fence installation, material staging, excavation, and machinery mobilization,” according to the city. Staging will occur in parking lot J next to Lay Park and the Union Street Bridge. River access between Cass and Union streets will be temporarily closed during construction for public safety. The city said safety was a key element of the project overall, replacing the Union Street Dam – which was rated in fair to poor condition in a 2021 inspection – with a new structure that “presents improvement for flood control and has a design life of 75-100 years,” according to the city.

Approximately 61 trees over six inches in diameter at breast height will be removed. Of those, about 20 percent are on the dam – constituting a dam safety hazard that would have to be removed regardless of whether FishPass happened, according to the city. The design plan “accounts for planting 73 native trees, a total of 371 native shrubs, and nearly 2,100 live stakes along the shoreline, according to the city. “In addition to the trees and plantings on site, approximately 80 more trees will be gifted to the City of Traverse City for placement in other public locations.”

FishPass will include the installation of a new “complete barrier to all fish while incorporating innovative technology to selectively pass desirable species and block harmful invaders like sea lamprey,” according to the city. In a statement, Great Lakes Fishery Commission Executive Secretary Dr. Marc Gaden said that the city’s partnership on FishPass – including covering costs associated with relocating the watermain and pursuing state and federal grants – made the organization confident “that all resources will be secured” to finish the project as planned.

M-72/M-22 Corridor Rebuild
Following a public open house last week, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) officials appeared before city commissioners Monday to review the latest design draft for the planned 2.2-mile rebuild of M-72 (Grandview Parkway) from Division Street in Traverse City and M-22 (Bay Shore Drive) to Cherry Bend Road in Elmwood Township.

The project, now estimated to cost $24.62 million including ancillary amenities, is expected to break ground next April and last most of the 2025 construction season. Project representative Cheryl Gregory of ROWE Professional Services emphasized that the latest design – including a roundabout at the M-72/M-22 intersection that incorporates Bay Street – reflects revisions made over the last two years based on resident feedback, including from Slabtown Neighborhood. For example, while initial design options contemplated closing Bay Street, Gregory said the majority of residents wanted to maintain Bay Street access. “That was a controversial issue at the beginning,” she acknowledged.

Also contentious for some residents is MDOT’s plan to shift the road five feet closer to Slabtown, which will provide space to have two trails running in parallel along both the north and south sides of the highway. The existing path will be preserved on the south side, while a new 12-foot-wide multi-use path will be installed on the north side. The official TART Trail will cross over to the south side of the highway north of M-72 and continue up to Cherry Bend Road and a planned future trail connection along that road. The waterside trail will continue north as well, though it will narrow in some spots down to 10 or 5 feet depending on space constraints, such as around waterfront restaurants.

The roundabout design should also reduce traffic congestion, Gregory said. A “zig-zag” pedestrian crossing is included in the roundabout design to allow pedestrians to enter a median at Bay Street and then walk up to another signalized crossing by Tom’s West Bay, which will give vehicles enough room to exit the roundabout before coming up to the crossing. The HAWK signalized pedestrian crossing at West End Beach will be preserved and improved with more lighting and visibility, Gregory said. ADA upgrades, transit stops, and stormwater drainage improvements are also incorporated into the project design. Pedestrian crossings will now be large enough to accommodate bikes with trailers attached, according to Gregory.

Some residents and commissioners worried about narrowing the green space along Bay Street to accommodate the road shift, as well as the noise impacts of moving the highway closer to the neighborhood. City Commissioner Heather Shaw questioned whether medians could be eliminated on Grandview Parkway in order to preserve more trees and green space along the corridor. However, Gregory said medians were critical for public safety and for slowing vehicle speeds in the corridor.  She also said that because the road is being reconstructed with asphalt and not concrete, decibel levels related to road tires are expected to noticeably decrease, which should reduce sound impacts on the neighborhood.

Officials said they’ll be finalizing a landscaping plan for the corridor in the next six weeks with the goal of completing the overall design plan by September. The project would then go out to bid and a contractor hired for a spring 2025 start. Because of the lack of viable detour options in the corridor, MDOT plans to maintain two-way traffic flow during construction, officials said.