City engineer outlines $8.7 million in annual road funding and major 2025 projects

Travis, the city engineer, briefed the council on planned street, bridge and water/sewer projects for the 2025 construction season and summarized how the city funds road work, grant matching and trade-offs between preventative maintenance and full reconstruction.

"Act 51 revenue is state and federal, gas and weight tax," Travis said, describing recurring sources for road funding and noting total annual revenue for roads, water and sewer in the presentation as roughly $8.7 million. He told council about a mix of local, federal and CDBG funding used to stretch dollars for multiple projects.

Travis described completed 2024 work and slated 2025 projects, including:

- Wheeler Street full reconstruction (Michigan to Gratiot): described as a roughly one-mile full reconstruction that includes a new water main, sewer main work, replacement of a railroad crossing and a mix of federal funding and local match.

- Hess Avenue reconstruction (Jefferson to Sheridan): a half-mile reconstruction proposed to convert sections from three lanes to two and to add bike lanes to connect with existing Sheridan bike lanes; staff said the conversion will be presented to council for approval.

- A multi-block resurfacing program in an area bounded by Webster, Madison, Court and Michigan using water-main coordination and resurfacing work once utilities are completed.

- Riverfront and park work including Riverfront Iron Belt Trail rehabilitation and Ojibwe Island shoreline stabilization and park improvements (ARPA-funded), plus boat launch and Lee Street work.

Travis said the city will use federal funds where possible and highlighted the role of CDBG and other grant programs to supplement local funds: "We do get about $1,200,000 in federal funding through our planning organization," he said.

Council members asked technical and timing questions. One councilor asked whether Cass Street would be rebricked; Travis said original Saginaw brick stockpiles were insufficient to restore the full street and that the Cass Street project is funded in part with a TAP grant and will use new brick per grant requirements. Another councilor asked about converting one-way streets to two-way and about how concrete road work differs from asphalt overlay; Travis answered that concrete panels and joint repairs can be cost-effective for some higher-volume corridors, and that full reconstruction is costlier on older local streets.

Nut graf: The engineer's briefing framed the trade-offs city staff make each construction season: prioritize preventive fixes on fair-condition roads to avoid expensive reconstructions, seek federal grants for large projects, and coordinate water/sewer work with street resurfacing to reduce duplication of disruption and cost.

Ending: Several major projects are scheduled to start this year; councilors and staff said they will continue grant pursuit and coordination with utility work as projects move toward bid and construction phases.