Flint’s Saginaw Street reopens on July 22

Flint, MI — Flint’s Saginaw Street will reopen on July 22, 2024.

The city announced the reopening of Saginaw Street in a July 18 press release. Brick restorations were completed ahead of schedule, with a previous completion date of August 2024.

City workers salvaged most vintage-era bricks while replacing the damaged ones with bricks from the early 1900s. These same bricks were specifically produced for street use and haven’t been mass-produced since the 1920s.

This is the first time the original bricks have been re-laid since the 1936 restoration effort.

As for updates, the intersection bricks have been removed and paved with brick-stamped concrete to reduce the road’s deterioration. It is also equipped with new ADA-compliant ramps to help with accessibility.

Additionally, Downtown’s 100-year-old water main alongside all water service line connections to businesses have all been replaced, and the city boasts an “upgraded electrical infrastructure with new conduits for lights and meters.”

All of the bricks have been laid, and traffic striping for medians, traffic lanes, crosswalks, and parking spaces will be completed next week.

Saginaw Street’s reopening arrives just in time for summer events like the Crim Festival of Races and Back to the Bricks.

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) provided $2.3 million in funding for the project, while the City of Flint’s Major Roads Fund contributed $3.4 million. An additional $2.8 million from the federal Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN Act) funded the replacement of the 12-inch water main under Saginaw Street.