Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette The parking deck in Houghton is pictured. The project to demolish the structure on Lakeshore Drive will be part of a larger project to rehabilitate the area. (Daily Mining Gazette file photo)

By GARRETT NEESE

Daily Mining Gazette

HOUGHTON — The Lakeshore Drive Corridor Rehabilitation Project, including the demolition of the 45-year-old Lakeshore Drive parking deck, will be bid out in about five weeks, City Manager Eric Waara told the Houghton City Council Wednesday.

MEDC will provide consultation to businesses connected to the Lakeshore Drive deck, tentatively scheduled for early February. An architectural firm and business consultants will be among the delegation, Waara said.

This week, Waara has also been meeting with businesses located along Lakeshore Drive to discuss the project. People and businesses with parking passes will be given alternate city parking spots.

In an email to properties along Lakeshore Drive, Waara said demolition is planned to take between six to eight weeks, and is hoped to be completed before summer.

Engineers plan to begin demolition on the east side by Huron Street. The west section between Dodge and Quincy streets will remain in use while the first part is taken down.

In July, the council voted to begin the process of tearing down the deck and deciding what will replace it.

In the long term, the city will use a public engagement process to determine what kind of project might go on the former deck property. In the immediate future, the deck area will be repaved and retained as street-level parking.

The project also includes placemaking elements and other improvements along Lakeshore Drive aimed at drawing people to the area.

Rain gardens, planting areas and trees will be added at spaces around the former parking deck.

Sidewalks on the south side of Lakeshore Drive will be widened, while they will be added on the north side. The sidewalks will host new seating and gathering areas.

A new pedestrian corridor starting between Michigan Made and the Print Shop will enable access between Shelden Avenue and Lakeshore Drive. New stairs will be installed from the parking lots to the waterfront trail.

There will be periodic limited access and traffic reroutes during construction. The plan is to be finished late summer or early fall.

The approximately $2.3 million project will be financed through a $1 million MEDC Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) grant, with the city borrowing an estimated $1.3 million.

At the next council’s next meeting, Waara said, he will discuss with the council what amount the city will do for a bond. In February, the council directed Waara to begin pursuing a $1 million bond to begin the teardown of the deck.