MDOT, City of Escanaba outline full reconstruction of US‑2, new railroad bridge and sidewalks

The Michigan Department of Transportation and the City of Escanaba presented plans on an MDOT-hosted public open house to fully reconstruct U.S. Highway 2 through Escanaba, replace a CN railroad overpass and add sidewalks, storm sewer and municipal utility work. MDOT said Phase 1 (from North Thirtieth Street by Menards to Ninth Avenue) is planned for 2027 construction, and Phase 2 (Ninth Avenue to Danforth, including a new railroad overpass) will be a multi‑year effort beginning in 2028.

The presentation described the project as a full‑width “gut” reconstruction rather than a mill‑and‑resurface because the pavement and underlying infrastructure are at the end of their service life. “We’ll be digging down about 3 feet and putting new layers of sand, granular and hot mix asphalt,” said Dave Bradley, design engineer at MDOT’s Crystal Falls Transportation Service Center. The work will include new storm sewer, water‑main work coordinated with the City of Escanaba, and aesthetic treatments funded in part by a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant.

MDOT said the original pavement on the corridor dates to the 1930s and has been widened several times. The department is designing both phases…