Abonmarche’s Langley Avenue project in St. Joseph has earned the APWA Michigan – Southwest Branch 2021 Project of the Year in Transportation projects over $5 million. In addition, Abonmarche’s Grand Haven Downtown Waterfront & Infrastructure Resiliency project in Grand Haven has earned the APWA Michigan – Midwest Branch, 2021 Project of the Year in Structures over $1 million.
Both of these award-winning projects brought a talented team of partners together to change the fabric of each community for the better. “Our team at Abonmarche is honored to shine a spotlight on two communities – the City of St. Joseph and the City of Grand Haven – that are investing in their future by making improvements to valued public gathering spaces and public utilities,” said Tim Drews, Director and Vice President at Abonmarche. “Both of these projects speak to the impact that successful public works projects can have on a community, and we’re proud to be part of the exceptional teams behind these projects.”
Langley Avenue is one of the principal north-south corridors within the City of St. Joseph, connecting the downtown to commercial and residential districts further south. The road serves as the main collector of traffic from the City’s southern neighborhoods heading both north and south to the commercial and employment centers of the community. This historical pattern resulted in a roadway that was originally a vehicular-centric two-lane asphalt section with concrete parking ribbons along its length and needed modernization to meet the needs of all system users, including bikers and pedestrians who use the corridor. Additionally, the water, sanitary, and storm infrastructure under the roadway were at or beyond their useful service life and needed attention to provide resilient service into the future.
Five goals were established for within this project: narrow the pavement section to create a more neighborhood-like feel, create areas for on-street parking, construct a 10-ft wide nonmotorized path for connection to other non-motorized facilities, replace and upgrade water, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer infrastructure, and finally, assist utilities with long-term upgrades and system reliability.
This project brought transformative change to the neighborhood while maintaining the functionality of the roadway and improving safety. The project included installation of recessed pavement markings, backplates on the traffic signal at Napier, and reflective stop sign bars to promote vehicular and pedestrian safety. Further, a flashing blinker crosswalk assembly was added at Orchard for school crossing traffic to ensure that venerable road users were given extra protection when crossing the active roadway.
Another major safety accomplishment was refining the curve layout near the middle of the project which previously did not meet design standards and had a history of crashes associated with the configuration. By flattening the curve and shifting the approach roadway, the design was able to maintain non-motorized facilities and accommodate utilities, while improving the curve to meet current design standards.
The resulting project fulfilled these goals by creating space for a dedicated non-motorized path, constructing a narrower pavement section with targeted parking areas, and replacing/upgrading the infrastructure system. Together with the St. Joseph community, Abonmarche defined desired project outcomes and applied sound engineering and construction principles to create a project that serves the community’s needs both now and in the future.
Grand Haven’s downtown waterfront improvement initiative was a critical community investment to meet the infrastructure needs of downtown businesses and provide amenities to support the community’s tourism economic sector. The project, designed and constructed by Abonmarche, was completed in March of 2021.
This project area serves as the heart of the community’s nationally recognized annual Coast Guard Festival and the commercial hub of the local tourism economy. This portion of the downtown has been a key part of the function and economic vitality of the community for centuries. Over the years, the river has served as a catalyst for the fur, lumber manufacturing and now tourism industries. Making the necessary improvements to this area to prepare it to serve the community for another 100 years required dealing with a confined construction environment, high groundwater with contamination and a multitude of underground utilities.
Given the heavy use of the area and importance to the community, Abonmarche structured this complex project into two phases: first, by setting the area’s infrastructure and utilities for future viability, and second, by creating additional amenities and improved connectivity throughout the grounds for future generations to enjoy.
During Phase 1, Harbor Drive was reconstructed between Franklin Avenue and Columbus Avenue. The focus was addressing numerous utility deficiencies and capacity issues. Major components of this phase included complete replacement of pavement, sanitary sewer and storm sewer, water main, traffic signal replacement, retaining walls and sidewalks.
Phase 2 addressed the area between Harbor Drive and the riverfront which was beset with many problems including narrow sidewalks, unsightly tree and power lines that block view sheds. This phase was a success, as the Abonmarche team was able to create a flexible space that effectively flexes between the demands of the warmer months and activates the community’s riverfront.
Upon completion of Phase 2, the elevation change between the sidewalks along Harbor Drive and the adjacent riverfront was over 12′; this resulted in universal access to the waterfront in this part of the community. New seating and gathering areas along the riverfront and newly created plaza area provided spaces for people to socialize while being able to safely distance outdoors, and viewsheds were opened up to create visual connectivity.
