The stretch of Napier Avenue in Benton Harbor that gets some of the heaviest commercial traffic thanks to semis making the transition from the US-31 bypass to Interstate-94 will likely be even slower moving and more congested over the next couple of weeks as the Michigan Department of Transportation launches a nearly $900k project to resurface the roadway connecting those two highways at the same time they re-do a portion of M-140.
MDOT Construction Engineer Chris Jacobs says that 9.4-miles of M-140 from M-62 to south of Napier Avenue and the section of Napier from I-94 to US-31 will undergo resurfacing beginning next Monday, June 12th in a deal that will likely take until about Wednesday, July 19th…about five weeks.
Jacobs says the $896,000 road upgrade will include crack filling and joint repairs and involves the shaving off of the top layers of asphalt, mixing in with fresh aggregate and then resurfacing through placement of two thin layers on top.
The project is designed to provide improved surface friction and a smoother ride for all highway users. Jacobs points out that there will be single-lane closures on M-140 and Napier Avenue during the construction process, so heads up for those who typically use those routes.
Here’s a short MDOT YouTube Channel video of Engineer Jacobs explaining the project:
