ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Throughout the summer, Escanaba’s downtown was quiet while crews completed a major reconstruction project. Wednesday afternoon, Ludington Street was filled with poeple celebrating its reopening.
Two years of construction spanning 16 blocks culminated in a grand reopening ceremony through Downtown Escanaba.
“This is what the town needed,” said Escanaba DDA Director Craig Woerpel. “This is a fantastic day, and we’ve got a great future ahead of us.”
The roughly $22 – $23 million project started underground, with crews replacing the city’s over 150-year-old sanitary sewer system.
“It was leaking water and costing the City lots of money to treat unfiltered water,” explained C2AE Project Manager Darren Pionk. “We kind of got to a sweet spot in terms of our project matching up with grant funding, and it came to fruition.”
Crews also addressed other needs beneath the road.
“There’s been flooding issues out here in Ludington Street,” Pionk said. “We’ve upgraded the storm sewer tremendously to tackle that problem. The big thing that people don’t even recognize is the sanitary lift station that actually takes care of about a third of the city, and that was a major project. We had to dig down 40 feet into the ground to install this lift station. It’s a very complicated project that really no one even sees anymore, and that’s good, because it’s supposed to work without any problems.”
They covered that work with a redesigned streetscape featuring parallel parking, bike lanes, wider sidewalks in certain areas, benches, and other amenities. The City showed off the new and improved Ludington Street with a parade.
“It feels exciting,” said Mayor Mark Ammel. “I think there’s a lot of energy. I think people are excited to finally have the street open and have access. Everybody wants to drive on the new pavement.”
The first people to drive on the updated Ludington Street were the owners of the two businesses that opened during the construction period—CK Downtown Martini Lounge and The Water Lily Gifts & Gather. The owners of the Swedish Pantry also drove through the parade in a golf cart, which they used to transport people to their restaurant while the roads and sidewalks were torn out.
“We don’t have a downtown without the businesses in the downtown,” Woerpel said. “A lot of them struggled through this, but many of them found ways to be able to continue to serve their customers in sometimes very innovative ways. That’s why it was important to showcase what our downtown businesses are all about.”
The celebration drew other business owners, patrons, local officials, residents, and even school children, all eager to experience the completed project.
“It’s bittersweet,” said Pionk, “but I’m very excited that it’s open to the public, open for the businesses and the visitors of Escanaba.”
Those involved say it is a testament to the power of collaboration, as well as the start of a new chapter for the community.
“I think it’s going to make us a more comfortable city to navigate if you’re walking, if you’re bicycling, if you’re driving, if you just want to look around and enjoy things,” Ammel said. “It makes us look more like what we already think we are. We’re a really nice place to live.”
Aside from smaller roadwork projects, Downtown Escanaba is now fully open to vehicle and foot traffic.
