Bumpy 2025, But Warning: 2026 Road Construction Ahead

Fix the damn roads? Sure. But all at once? Local drivers and business owners are of two minds about the topic. And if you think this year’s been challenging, wait until you see what’s ahead.

This summer and fall, the roundabout at M-72 and M-22, nearby Bay Street, Barney Road, Ninth Street, and Fourteenth Street are just a few of the many places where road construction forced detours, one-way streets, and traffic jams.

Bray McCabe, owner of Glendale Burger Shop on South West Bay Shore Drive with his wife Brittney, had front seats for Grandview Parkway construction. The view was mostly of stopped cars and construction equipment, however. “Most of the July traffic (to the restaurant) was quiet. It was hard to get to us on your lunch hour and make it back to work,” he says.

As traffic started moving again, so did business. “The shift in September was night and day different," says McCabe.

Laura Van Steenis at nearby Aroma’s Coffee & Tea says business dropped by as much as 20 percent, but they were prepared for it. “It was a significant drop. We changed the schedules and staffing,” she says. Van Steenis adds that some loyal customers braved the construction, both those on bikes from the TART Trail and those who drove. “The Traverse City Auto Enthusiasts Club meets here the first Sunday every month,” she says. “They continued to meet here through all the construction. The support meant a lot.”

Grand Traverse County Road Commission Manager Dan Watkins says that because Michigan has such a short season for road projects, that means that many have to happen at the same time. But it’s not by choice. In fact, the county deliberately waited to start work on Barney Road in hopes that the roundabout would be completed before further handicapping drivers. “We pulled back as far as we could,” he says.

Unfortunately, there was a two-to-three-week overlap when both projects were in full swing. When one lane of the roundabout opened in September, the traffic snarls eased considerably. James Lake, communications specialist for the Michigan Department of Transportation, says the massive 2.2-mile reconstruction project on Grandview Parkway and Bay Street was a $25.5 million project and is on track to be finished by mid-November.

Lake says the state is also working on the initial stages of a 7.8-mile, $32.5 million project on US-31 in Interlochen from Sullivan Road to Reynolds Road. The initial phase, scheduled to be completed by mid-October, is preparing the site for complete reconstruction of that stretch next summer.

Gary Jurkovich, owner of TCH Gear near the intersection of US-31 and J. Maddy Parkway in Interlochen, has seen a downturn in business due to the construction but is more concerned with what will happen next year.

He says he has been in touch with various state entities to see if there’s a way drivers could use a nearby dirt road in lieu of taking a 15.9-mile detour to get to and from their homes and local businesses. “The routes for next year are ridiculous,” Jurkovich says. “I have approached the state, DNR, Lansing. I would go in with dozers and gravelers. It’s a two-track everybody uses. The title is owned by the state.”

Thus far he hasn’t gotten anywhere, but says with another six months or so before construction recommences, he’s not giving up.

In the City of Traverse City, Interim City Manager Benjamin Marentette tells The Ticker staff “try to manage the neighborhood impacts” of projects, noting they often involve underground utilities such as water and sewer.  The city added additional signage and greater police presence to make sure drivers were traveling safely.

City street reconstruction projects included Fulton Street, Griffin Street, Ninth Street, Eleventh Street, and Twelfth Street, with approximately four miles of local streets receiving cape seal treatment. Crack sealing work also took place, as well as improvements to Fourteenth Street and downtown streets including Union Street north of East Front Street, Cass Street south of East Front, and Union Street south of East Front.

The Road Commission’s Watkins notes that finding both time and money to do all the projects the county might like to do is always a challenge. “We don’t have the funding or weather conditions of Florida or Alabama,” he says.
 
Photo: Inside a quiet Glendale Burger during construction.