By Mary Drew at Pasty Central (Mdrew) on Friday, May 8, 2009 - 07:45 am:
In case you haven't heard, the road construction project in Downtown Houghton has begun and the detours seem to be flowing pretty smoothly. Earlier this week, I remembered to bring my camera and snapped a few shots along the way. We begin by crossing over the Lift Bridge, where it narrows to one lane to the right, then as you round the curve, you stay in the right lane and head west on M-26 up towards the Mall Corridor. The lanes are well marked with those little orange and white sticks, so it's pretty easy to follow, actually.
Then on the return trip, you head towards the bridge, following the detour signs. If you're going south, either into Houghton or further, you stay in the right lane. If you're heading across the bridge to Hancock and beyond, then you stay in the left lane, where there's a handy stop light set up to help cars ease into the cross traffic heading in the opposite direction. Once you get the green light, just stay in your lane and it takes you around the curve and right onto the bridge.
Don't let all those detour signs and road construction lane marking sticks scare you. I was actually a bit nervous the first time, but once into the thick of it, I found it was pretty easy to negotiate since it's marked quite well. Just take it easy and drive cautiously. Hopefully we can get through this improvement project without too many fender benders. :-> For more information about the project and the detour routes, click on the following links:
MDOT - US41 - Houghton
City of Houghton
MTU Detour Information for Summer
On a sidenote... remember the Downtown Houghton businesses are still OPEN and accessible with the side streets from either Montezuma Ave. or Lake Street, which runs behind Franklin Square Inn and goes right through to the Chutes and Ladders Park and back up onto M-26. There's ample parking under and on the deck, along with parking on Sheldon Avenue wherever the construction hasn't quite reached yet. So be sure to still frequent the local downtown businesses!
