The Marinette Menominee Area Chamber of Commerce is urging area residents to use the 13^th Street detour when they are traveling north and south through Menominee.

“We have been told from the start of this year’s road construction that U.S. 41 would be open for local traffic only,” said Mary Johns, chamber director. “Through traffic – that is traffic that is not stopping on 10^th Street – is meant to use the 13^th Street detour.”

Area residents can access north-and-south running 10^th Street/US 41 through Menominee’s east-and-west running avenues. Earlier this year, the chamber purchased directional signs with money contributed by some of the businesses on 10^th Street that are affected by the road work. The city installed the signs on 13^th Street to call attention to 10^th Street access.

“Using 13^th Street instead of 10^th provides an opportunity for drivers to see what businesses are located on ‘Old Broadway,’” notes Johns. “This is a wonderful area where you can still sense the Menominee of 50 or 60 years ago. You can buy a bicycle, find scrapbook materials, purchase a gently-used item, buy a piece of art and get a meal.”

Road crews nearly shut down a portion of 10^th Street after heavy rains brought the temporary lane below the necessary density, according to a Monday e-mail update Jason DeGrand, an engineer with the Michigan Department of Transportation. But crews were able to pump out some of the water and 10^th Street will remain open as planned.

“To facilitate the project, we hope truck traffic and drivers not stopping on 10^th Street will use the detour while drivers needing to access 10^th Street – in other words, “local” traffic – will use side roads to access 10^th Street,” says Johns. “We certainly don’t want to discourage anyone from patronizing a business on 10^th Street – quite the opposite! But we also want road crews to be able to finish the project safely and on time.”

The chamber is urging residents on both sides of the river to patronize businesses in road work zones. That includes 10^th Street as well as Hall Avenue in Marinette. On July 6, a road-widening project is expected to begin on Roosevelt Road/Country Trunk T east of Pine Tree Mall in Marinette.

“We encourage local residents to buy as much as they can locally and from all over town, road work or no road work,” says Johns. “The minor inconvenience of dealing with a gravel driveway and a little extra time will pay off when businesses in road-work zones flourish despite limited access.”