By Journal Staff

MARQUETTE — The city of Ishpeming announced Thursday that construction is slated to begin Monday on a new more than $16 million sewer infrastructure project.

The project is funded by the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and will begin near the Marquette County Road Commission garage at the corner of North Second Avenue and Ash Street in Ishpeming. Work will then proceed to Hickory and Hemlock streets and it is expected that construction in the area will last three to four weeks.

The city says that residents should expect traffic disruptions during the planned construction but that access to homes and businesses will be maintained throughout the project.

The CWSRF project was originally announced in September and will combine several components of the city’s sewer infrastructure, including sewer main replacement, installation of a redundant main and necessary upgrades to provide long term solutions to the aging lift stations in the area.

The funding for the project allows for a timeline that stretches to December 2026 for completion, although the city says the project is not anticipated to last that long.

“This project will update critical infrastructure, which is more than 70 years old. Improvements will address many challenges facing our community,” said Ishpeming City Manager Craig Cugini in a press release. “Updating this aged system will provide long-lasting, reliable new systems using the most up-to-date materials and technology. These improvements are expected to reduce unnecessary strain on the treatment plant systems often occurring during high-water events.”

The project includes $8.025 million in grant funding through the American Rescue Plan and an $8.025 million municipal bond from Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy through federal Clean Water State Revolving Fund funding.

The project will see approximately 25,000 feet of sewer main being replaced and rehabilitated.

The city will require that any roads undergoing work will be repaved before winter and will ensure that the contractors working on the project adhere to the city’s “dig once” policy, allowing for any other necessary underground work to be performed parallel to prevent cutting through pavement and dirt more than once.

The city says that several infrastructure needs will be addressed by the project, including:

≤ Installation of new PVC pipe via open cut throughout the city;

≤ Reinforcing existing pipes located in wetlands, the Carp River and other sewers where open cut is impractical;

≤ Backup generators and pump replacements for all eight lift stations;

≤ A new, 30-inch-diameter Carp River sewer crossing installed via directional drilling that will provide a redundant crossing, which is critical in times of high water and heavy flow.;

The city has chosen two locally based companies to assist with the project, with the contractor being Payne and Dolan and the engineer being U.P. Engineers and Architects.