Residents give feedback for major MDOT project in Saint Joseph

SAINT JOSEPH, Mich. -- MDOT is looking for feedback from residents of Saint Joseph before they break ground on a massive project.

It's called the M-63/ I-94 Business Loop rebuilding project; it'll rework and improve a large stretch of Main Street in Saint Joe, but that won't come without a full closure of the busy roadway as crews work to dig it all up.

The work will go right down Main Street up to both the Blossomland Bridge and Bicentennial Bridge.

MDOT and the city of Saint Joseph held another open house for the project Monday night for people to learn more and ask questions.

Residents won't have to worry about detour routes for quite some time though.

Construction on the project wouldn't start until the fall of 2027 and MDOT's already been planning it for two years.

It's such a big project that MDOT wanted to make sure they gave local residents and business owners enough time to give their input so they can take it into consideration for the final design of the project.

"Every season I watch families cross at our corner with children, taking their lives in their hands, with a pretty substandard crosswalk there," says Saint Joseph resident, Kim Jorgensen Gane.

Keeping the beachy, touristy town walkable, but even safer, is important to residents like Kim Jorgensen Gane.

"Part of the construction will be right in front of my house so of course I have vested interest," Gane says.

She's just one local who gave feedback to MDOT concerning the M-63/I-94 Business Loop Rebuilding Project.

"People are used to seeing us do work on I-94, I-196, US-31, that's kind of standard. We don't often get to do work through somebody's downtown, Main Street like this," explains Nick Schirripa, an MDOT Spokesperson. "It's such a big project that will reshape not just what it looks like but how it functions for the people who live and work here, as well as all the visitors."

A project of this magnitude is set to match the growth downtown Saint Joseph has seen over the past several years.

It'll improve sidewalks, pavement markings, and overall streetscape.

"The way the road was built decades ago doesn't serve how traffic and pedestrian traffic behaves now," Schirripa says.

The full closure of Main Street and access to a cluster of Saint Joe's small businesses will be tricky, even more so with the new addition of paid parking.

"Losing some downtown parking spaces is going to be difficult for some," Gane anticipates.

Gane has faith that the community will deal with the growing pains.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for our city, and I think it's something to look forward to," Gane says.

"We will certainly take care of it to the best of our ability moving into the future and make sure this lasts for generations beyond ours," says Schirripa.

MDOT is set to have more open houses in the future for public input before they create a final draft of the project's design.

This website is dedicated to the project, where people can learn more about the ins and outs of the design and feedback.