One of the area’s major highways – M-72 – is planned to be shut down for four weeks near Tom’s West Bay to allow utility companies to bury their lines/utilities underground. The work, which is planned to start later this month and will require significant detours, is in preparation for the biggest local road project on deck in 2025: 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, including a new roundabout at M-72/M-22.

Traverse City commissioners are expected to hear an update on the $25.8 million project at their 7pm meeting Monday, including the upcoming utility work. DTE and Traverse City Light & Power (TCLP) are relocating their utilities underneath the roadway, with work to be performed by Team Elmer’s under a permit from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). In an August memo, TCLP Engineering Manager Tony Chartrand said burying the lines is “the best solution to avoid conflicts with the new roundabout” being built.

“Burying the lines will minimize the risk of outages and maintenance issues caused by vehicle accidents, enhancing the overall stability of our electrical system,” Chartrand wrote. “This is typically appropriate with distribution lines. However, burying utility lines does not guarantee the system will not experience an outage. As such, in the event if there is an outage, restoration typically takes longer. However, the pros of burying utility lines outweigh the cons.” Additional above-ground lighting is planned to be installed around the intersection by MDOT, Chartrand noted, which “will improve safety and visibility for all users, particularly along the expanded TART trail.”

While the utilities originally targeted a January 13 start date, permit applications were not submitted until December 20 and have not yet been issued. Chartrand said Friday the start date will likely be pushed back, with DTE Corporate Communications Manager Chris Lamphear agreeing that date could be moved. “We expect to begin work in January, but the exact date is still being finalized while we complete some details in the permitting process,” he says.

MDOT North Region Communications Specialist James Lake confirms MDOT and the utilities are still working out the permit details. That includes addressing issues like detour routes for pedestrians and cyclists, logistics around the roadway subbase and compaction once the utilities are relocated, and additional clarification on traffic detours and control devices, Lake says.

Once the utility work does begin, it’s expected to take a month to complete. While Grandview Parkway/M-22 will remain open between Division Street and Cherry Bend Road, M-72 will be closed from the M-72/M-22 intersection to just east of Incochee Woods Drive. M-72 will also be closed to through traffic from Gray Road to Incochee Woods Drive. Several surrounding roads will experience additional closures, with an extensive list of detours outlined in an MDOT release (the full list is provided at the end of this story). Access will be maintained to residences and businesses, though some will likely be challenged by the shutdown. “We are having conversations with Tom’s about the best and safest way to manage traffic,” Lamphear says.

With lines planned to be trenched 10 feet down across the entire roadway width, “the utility companies informed us they could not safely or effectively make those utility relocations” without shutting down the road completely, Lake says. Chartrand says some electrical service interruptions will occur when the utilities switch over to the new facilities, but the “dates and times will be scheduled ahead of time with all customers affected.” Customers should not experience disruption to their natural gas service, according to Lamphear.

The utility work is a precursor to the major road reconstruction project ahead this spring. The M-22/M-72 rebuild has a targeted April 15 start date, though Lake says MDOT’s contractor, Team Elmer’s, has “expressed interest in an earlier start date if the weather allows, perhaps as early as mid-March.” The work is expected to last through the end of the construction season in late fall. Like last year’s reconstruction of Grandview Parkway/East Front Street between Garfield and Division, Lake says there will be “multiple phases” of work and traffic staging, with schedules still being finalized.

Unlike the total road closure that occurred for part of last year, one lane of traffic is expected to be maintained in each direction this year on both M-22 and M-72 during the rebuild. Work is also expected to continue through the National Cherry Festival, unlike last year when contractors were able to complete one stage and break for the event before continuing to the next stage. “This project won’t have a defined stage completion prior to the Cherry Fest, but there will be considerations for traffic control for the festival,” says MDOT Traverse City Transportation Service Center (TSC) Construction Engineer Jim Johnson. “I would expect (Team Elmer’s) will have people working during the festival.”

According to MDOT, the full reconstruction project will include the following work: “removing the concrete and composite (asphalt over concrete) pavements and restoring the surface condition and ride quality to good condition; drainage improvements, including curb and gutter, storm sewer, culverts; replacing sidewalks and nonmotorized paths; improvements for local transit buses; upgrading sidewalk ramps to Americans with Disabilities Act standards; building a roundabout at the M-72/M-22 intersection that incorporates the Bay Street intersection; Cherry Bend Road traffic signal upgrades; and improving driveway access management where possible.”

Final details on the reconstruction project are expected to be released in the coming weeks. MDOT is planning a public open house on February 11 from 4pm to 6pm at the Traverse City Transportation Service Center (located at 2084 US-31). More information on the construction staging and schedule is expected to be available at that event, Lake says.

Full List of Detours for M-72 Utility Work (Four-Week Project Planned to Start in Mid/Late January) 
> Westbound M-72 traffic will be detoured on US-31/M-37 (Division Street), West Front Street, Cedar Run Road, and Gray Road to M-72. A temporary traffic signal will be installed at the Cedar Run Road/Gray Road intersection.
> Eastbound M-72 traffic will be detoured on Tilton Road, Cedar Run Road, West Front Street, and US-31/M-37 (Division Street) to M-72. A temporary traffic signal will be installed at the Cedar Run Road/Gray Road intersection.
> Eastbound M-72 traffic to northbound M-22 will be detoured on South Bugai Road and Cherry Bend Road to M-22.
> Southbound M-22 traffic to westbound M-72 will be detoured on Cherry Bend Road and South Bugai Road to M-72.
> Eastbound M-72 truck traffic to northbound M-22, and southbound M-22 truck traffic to westbound M-72, will be detoured on South Richter Road, East Eckerle Road, South Center Highway, East Bingham Road, and South Lake Leelanau Drive/South Bugai Road (County Road 641).

Additional closures will include:
> Bay Street will be closed from M-72 to US-31/M-37 (Division Street), and also at the intersections with Ramsdell Road, Monroe Street, Elmwood Avenue, Spruce Street, Cedar Street, and Wayne Street. Ramsdell Road, Monroe Street, and Madison Street will be closed to through traffic.
> East Carter Road will be closed to through traffic from M-72 to M-22.
> Barney Road will be closed to through traffic from Gray Road to Cedar Run Road, and Harris Road will be closed to through traffic from Cedar Run Road to Barney Road.
> East Lincoln Road will be closed to through traffic from Bugai Road to Cherry Bend Road.