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Kentwood approves $3.06 million local share for Shafer/36th traffic circle, green-lights multiple road and utility contracts
Summary
The Kentwood City Commission unanimously approved an MDOT contract covering a traffic circle at Shafer Avenue and 36th Street, a $21,560 engineering amendment for 56th Street, a Ravines Phase 2 utility agreement, two water-system studies and an update to street lighting. Commissioners discussed summer detours and election precinct access.
The Kentwood City Commission unanimously approved a slate of infrastructure measures at its second meeting of 2026, including the city's $3,062,000 share of a major reconstruction and traffic-circle project at Shafer Avenue and 36th Street.
City staff told commissioners the Shafer/36th project is part of a larger $44,170,000 reconstruction that includes federal grant support. "Kentwood's share of the construction is estimated at 3,062,000, which includes a 10% contingency on the estimated total cost of $44,170,000," city engineer Jim Beaky told the commission. Work is expected to begin in June and require detours and intermittent closures through the summer; staff pledged to alert contractors to ensure access for voters at affected precincts during the August election.
Commissioners also approved an amendment to an engineering contract for the 56th Street design ($21,560) to extend the reconstruction area from Mick to Madison, funding and easement steps for the Ravines at Kentwood Phase 2 water and sewer agreement with Grand Rapids and Coochie Builders, and a lighting-contract change to add five cobra-head LED street lights at the proposed traffic circle.
Under a separate motion the commission authorized two water-system studies: a risk and resiliency assessment (RRA), required by EGLE and due June 30, and a combined water reliability and emergency-response study due later in the year. Jim Beaky said the RRA contract would be executed under a compressed timeline and that the larger reliability study (and its emergency-response plan) would be completed by December.
All measures on these agenda items were moved, seconded and approved in roll-call votes with no recorded dissents. The commission discussed localized impacts, particularly detour routing during construction and coordination to maintain access to Covenant Park and other high-activity areas.
Next steps: staff will finalize contract documents, confirm any outstanding special-assessment payments tied to earlier Pfeiffer Woods work, and coordinate preconstruction meetings with contractors to establish staging and traffic-control plans.
