Michigan Ave. closed for chip sealing

By Brandi Makuski

A large portion of Michigan Ave. was closed to traffic on July 8 for chip sealing work.

Public Works Director Scott Beduhn said his office put together a notice announcing the closure, which begins at Jefferson St. and travels south, but he’s not sure why notice didn’t get sent to the media, or why the announcement wasn’t placed on the city’s website. He suspects it’s due to staffing issues last week.

Residents along Michigan Ave. did receive notice via U.S. Mail, he said, and there “should have been” an electronic billboard placed on a roadway a full week in advance announcing the upcoming work, but Beduhn said he couldn’t confirm if the billboard was put in place because he would out of town for much of last week.

Michigan Ave. is marked as a detour for motorists traveling around the Bus. 51/County Hwy. HH intersection, where east- and westbound lanes are closed to traffic. Now, motorists expecting to take Michigan Ave. will be redirected again with additional detour signs.

“All I can say is, ‘I apologize’,” Beduhn said. “With the holiday, it slipped through the cracks. It just didn’t happen because there was a skeleton crew last week.”

Beduhn also said chip sealing operations, a pavement treatment that “seals” the road surface with “chips” of aggregate, were occurring on Hoover Ave. this week but only expects partial lane closures along that road.

Michigan Ave. is expected to reopen to the public late afternoon, Beduhn said.