HOUGHTON, Mich. (WZMQ) – A road construction project in Houghton County is being recognized by a national agency.
The US-41 reconstruction project in Houghton, completed by the Michigan Department of Transporation (MDOT), won the Quality of Life/Community Development Award in the Small Project category by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
The $9.5 million project rebuilt 1.1 miles of US-41 from MacInnes Dr. on Michigan Tech University’s campus to Isle Royale St. in downtown Houghton. The work included converting the four-lane boulevard section of Townsend Ave. in front of MTU’s campus to two lanes with designated turn lanes at major intersections, widening College Ave. to add a center left-turn lane, and reducing from three lanes to two on the east end of Montezuma Ave.
According to the AASHTO, these changes have improved traffic flow and increased pedestrian safety. The City of Houghton updated sanitary sewer and watermain throughout the project as well. Work began in summer 2021 and was completed in 2023.
The AASHTO says projects nominated in the competition are making people safer, communities stronger, economies more efficient, and improving quality of life, all while using innovative technology to get these projects done better and faster.
A project in downstate Acme Township also won an award. As regional winners, both projects will now be considered for the competition’s Top 12, which will be publicly announced in early September. These 12 projects compete for two top prizes: the Grand Prize, chosen by an independent panel of judges, and the People’s Choice Award, determined by the public through online voting. Both carry a $10,000 cash prize to support a transportation-related scholarship or charitable cause. These will be announced at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in Philadelphia this October.
