Design changes delay Marinette Main Street improvement project

MARINETTE – A grassy area added to the Marinette Main Street improvement project is being scrapped and a new concrete area is being poured in its place.

The design change has postponed the completion date, said Project Manager and Civil Engineer Matt Looby from managing firm Ayres Associates Inc. said.

Looby provided this update on Oct. 31, the date the project originally was expected to be completed. The design change has postponed the completion date, he said.

About 1,500 square feet of sidewalk is being added to the plaza area at Wisconsin Street and Pierce Avenue, Looby said.

When the concrete work is completed, the roadway will re-open.

The decision to install concrete at the triangle plaza is at least the second design change for the project, as trees to be planted to beautify the area were cut from the project.

Streetlights and electrical furnishings will be installed in late November or December, as they haven’t been delivered yet, Looby said.

The project, which broke ground in late July, has involved excavating the roadway, installing underground conduit for new street lights, installing new traffic signals and pouring new concrete light-pole bases, curbs and gutters.
It also included full reconstruction of underground utilities, including sanitary sewer, storm sewer and water main, along with new concrete road pavement and new sidewalks on both sides of the street.

The project required motorists to detour around the area, while new water mains, sewers, sidewalks, lighting and roadway were installed.

While one plan included trees planted and the grass plaza to beautify the area, the Marinette Common Council opted to save money and maintenance by omitting the trees and the grass. Planting beds are still in the plan for after the winter.

About 12 skyline honey locust trees and 11 American elm trees had been planned for along Main Street, along with shrubs, but the “many thousands of dollars” involved in purchasing, planting and maintaining them spurred the change in plans, Marinette Mayor Steve Genisot said in September. The trees would have had to be protected from the winter, he said, noting they could be planted at a later date.

While the cost of installing the concrete plaza might exceed the cost of planting grass, it will require less upkeep.