Hawley Street to Wright Street
Reconstruction and Shoreline Reclamation
Phase One
Moving the Road
Phase Two
Coastal Resiliency, Habitat Restoration and Public Access
What’s Planned?
A revetment comprised of quarried cobble sized stone will be placed along the shoreline to prevent further erosion and to restore the area to a more natural appearance. This type of revetment is dynamic and will shape with wave action over time. The wave action will also round the stones over time. This type of construction is often referred to as “cobble beach” or “living revetment”. Inlet structures and control sections made up of large rock will be placed periodically along the shoreline to hold the cobble in place laterally and to provide breaches so that lake water can connect to existing and constructed coastal wetlands.
A series of dunes and swales along with native planting will be placed landward of the revetment which reflects what was originally there prior to industrialization.
Public amenities are also planned with this project. These include the placement of a boardwalk overlook and walking paths within the dune/ swale environment.
Much of this project is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2025.
For construction plans please see the link below:
https://www.marquettemi.gov/departments/community-development/engineering/
Public Meetings
January 19, 2021 Work Session
On January 19, 2021, the City Commission held a work session to discuss Phase 2 of the Lakeshore Boulevard project.
January 2, 2020 Work Session
On January 2, 2020, the City Commission held a work session to discuss the history and future of Lakeshore Boulevard, as well as portions of the lakeshore along South Lake Street and Presque Isle Park.
May 7, 2019 Special Meeting
On May 7, the City Commission conducted a special meeting to make a decision on grant funding for Lakeshore Boulevard.
The agenda for this meeting can be found here.
April 3, 2019 Public Information Session
On April 3, City Staff conducted an informational session, aimed at educating the public about the proposed Lakeshore Boulevard project.
This session included an explanation of the project by City staff and provided an opportunity for residents to review the basics of the proposal.
Other Work
Pine Street to Fair Avenue Emergency Bank Stabilization
During the intense storm on October 16, 2019 and subsequent storms, the shoreline along Lakeshore Boulevard from Fair Avenue to Pine Street sustained heavy erosion damage from wave action and the storm surge of Lake Superior. At the October 28, 2019 regular meeting of the City Commission, action was taken by the Commission to hire Smith Construction to place up to 1,400 linear feet of rock armor along the coast, starting just north of Fair Avenue, in order to protect the City infrastructure including Lakeshore Boulevard.
Following the completion of the project, the City experienced another intense storm on November 27 where the coast was directly impacted by 20’ plus waves. The shore armoring did its job in the sense that the road is still intact along this section of Lakeshore Boulevard whereas the section of Lakeshore Boulevard from Wright Street to Hawley Street experienced catastrophic failure during the storm. The coast, including portions of the new armoring did experience some damage and must be repaired and strengthened to maintain its effectiveness.
Staff reached out to Smith Construction who had just completed the project and requested a proposal to remediate the damage to the armoring in order to ensure that the integrity of the road is preserved. The proposed remedy places additional armoring at a unit cost of $800 per load of rock. It is estimated that it will take 70 loads to restore the original armoring.
The City Commission approved an additonal $64,400 in emergency funding at their December 9, 2019 meeting.
Hawley Street Construction
Hawley Street between Presque Isle Avenue and Lakeshore Boulevard was reduced to one lane traffic beginning at 8:00 a.m., October 22, 2019 for the construction of a new stormwater drain and the creation of new wetlands. The lane reduction will be intermittent and is anticipated to last through mid-November. Motorists and pedestrians are encouraged to use caution when traveling through this area.
The road was reopened on Wednesday, November 12 for two way traffic for the rest of the winter. All underground work in the roadway has been completed.
Questions regarding the project can be directed to Curt Goodman, Director of Municipal Utilities at cgoodman@marquettemi.gov or 906-225-4055.
