Council endorses COG funding application for 300 North Street improvements
Summary
After a public hearing, Mendon City Council recommended approval of a COG grant application to improve 300 North Street, including fixing the canal bridge and making the curve into a more defined intersection.
Mendon City Council voted to recommend a COG (Council of Governments) funding application for improvements to 300 North Street, widening the road and replacing the canal bridge to ease a known traffic bottleneck.
The public hearing drew a presentation from City Engineer Eric Thursteller, who described plans to round a sharp curve at the canal bridge, create a more conventional intersection (likely a three-way stop), and widen the road where funding allows. Thursteller said the application asks for $380,000 in rural planning funds and noted the county would provide a letter of support.
Councilors discussed construction staging and access for residents west of the bridge during replacement; Thursteller said contractors expect to work in phases ("half-moon" / alternating closures) so residents can still reach properties while the bridge is replaced. He also said the design calls for a 48-foot bridge section (24-foot travel lane plus 12-foot shoulders each side) and that a precast bridge would speed construction.
During the public hearing, there were no substantive comments opposed to the plan. Council Member Brian Myers raised a conflict-of-interest notation to be recorded in the minutes, saying the mayor and several councilors live in the area and would be personally affected; the council recorded that disclosure but proceeded with the vote.
A motion to recommend approval of the COG application carried on a voice vote. The council instructed staff to finalize the application materials for submission to the COG in August and to coordinate a county recommendation letter.
The city manager and engineer said that prior COG awards have covered much of the community's street projects; the mayor noted the city previously received roughly $720,000 in COG street funding while the city's annual budget is smaller, underscoring the program's importance to completing capital projects.
Councilors asked staff to track construction impacts and to coordinate communications so residents west of the canal know how access will be managed during bridge replacement.
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