Upton Drive Reconstruction Project

August 23, 2024 Project Update

This is an update for the Upton Drive Reconstruction Project as of August 22, 2024.  Kalin Construction is scheduled to start Phase 3 on August 26 which means Upton Drive will be closed from Momany Drive to Virginia Court starting Monday morning.  Kalin is on track to open the Marina Drive/Virginia Court/Upton Drive intersection by the end of the work day today.  Starting Monday, the only way to access the Marina Drive/Virginia Court/Upton Drive intersection will be from the south, via Whitwam Drive.

Water service connections and the final water main tie ins are also scheduled in the coming week.  The water service connection work will include Upton Drive residences fronting on the construction, and occur on Monday through Wednesday.  These typically take approximately 30 minutes to complete.  Those impacted will be notified with door hanger notices and contacted by the Abonmarche Inspector or a Kalin Construction crew member to coordinate the specific time for the water service switch over.

The water main tie ins are scheduled on Thursday (8/29).  The first shut off will impact a portion of the Edgewater Center as illustrated in the map below.  Kalin will work with City water crews to shut off the water at 5 am with the goal of restoring water service by 8 am.  The second shut off is expected to impact 424 Upton Drive through 436 Upton Drive and will start at 9 am and be complete by 3 pm.  A map of the properties impacted is also provided in the links below.

Given that this phase will directly impact residents with driveways on Upton Drive, a few reminders from the Initial Public Notice and Public Meeting held last spring are likely in order.

Driveway Access

Access to driveways and traffic maintenance will be a challenge during this project and we ask for your patience, particularly when construction impacts your street intersection or your property frontage.  Because both sewer and water main will be replaced during construction, the entire roadway will be removed when excavation work is underway.  As such, there will be times when access to streets/driveways will not be possible.  For the limited number of properties directly impacted, on-street overnight parking will be allowed on nearby streets when your driveway is not accessible.  Driveways will be inaccessible for varying lengths of time dependent upon the work items such as installing water main, sewer and pavement.  The concrete curb & gutter and driveway work will also require cure time (up to 7 days) before vehicles can drive on it.  Please do not move barricades and barrels when the concrete is curing to access your driveway as this will impact future durability.  Your cooperation is greatly appreciated during this process.

Trash Pickup and Mail Delivery

For trash and recycle pickup, we request that you place your containers along the road as normal on Sunday night, or no later than 7 am on Monday.  Kalin will move the containers to a location that is accessible for trash truck pickup early Monday morning.  Please write your address on duct tape and place it on your trash container to assist Kalin in returning the same container to your home at the end of the day.  If you have a problem with your trash pickup, please contact Liam Cormier, Streets Superintendent at 269-983-6341.  We expect the U. S. Postal Service to be able to maintain normal mail delivery. Should this prove to be problematic, we will contact you with further information.

After Hours Concerns

In case of an emergency, please dial 911.  If your problem is less critical in nature, for example no water service, sewer backup, etc. please contact the St. Joseph Water Treatment Plant at 269-983-1240.  The Water Plant Operator will then contact the appropriate personnel to address your concern.

Kalin reported the project is currently on schedule and should be complete by the end of October.

The project team thanks you for your patience, and as always, please feel free to contact Project Engineer Tim Drews (telephone: 269-876-9286, email: tdrews@abonmarche.com) or City Engineer Tim Zebell (telephone: 269-985-0339 with questions or concerns).

Project Description & General Information

The Upton Drive Reconstruction Project is scheduled to begin on March 25, 2024.

The project limits include Upton Drive from its southerly end near the St. Joseph River to Momany Drive.  The primary purpose of the project is to reconstruct the roadway, install new storm sewer to improve drainage, and replace the sanitary force main from the Edgewater Lift Station to the sanitary sewer interceptor sewer south of the St. Joseph River.  While the roadway is removed, the existing sanitary sewer and water mains located under it will be replaced.  The project also includes reconfiguration of the roadway to allow the installation of a non-motorized path.

The scope is more complex than most reconstruction projects as it includes three utility crossings under the CSX railroad tracks, a directional bore under the St. Joseph River, and changing the pavement width.  This requires coordinating multiple agreements with CSX.  Several external funding sources are also involved including a Transportation Economic Development Fund Category A grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation, a Clean Water State Revolving Loan (CWSRF) loan, and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) loan.  A portion of the CWSRF and DWSRF funding will come in the form of grants rather than loans.  The balance of funding beyond the external sources listed above will come from the City’s Street Improvement Fund, Water Improvement Fund, and Sewer Fund.

The project is expected to be underway the entire construction season with completion expected in early November.

The supporting documents section has links to more detailed information that can be downloaded, a brief description of the documents follows.

• Initial Public Notice - provides a detailed description of the project and answer frequently asked questions.
• Selected Alternative - the selected alternative concept plan that was posted during the public input phase.
• Pavement Marking - Signage Plan – provides a more detailed view of the plans extracted from the plans as bid.
• Initial Public Meeting Presentation – a pdf of the power point presented during the March 6, 2024 public meeting.
• Upton Phasing Plan - Anticipated dates of the phasing plan as of March 12, 2014.