Flint, MI—Restoration work on Saginaw Street downtown Flint is ahead of schedule, and another block is set to close on Monday, May 1, 2023.
Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley confirmed the news during a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) board meeting this week, despite the city’s website to track construction progress and closures not reflecting that information as of press time.
The next closure will be the roadway’s 600 block between Third Street and Second Street. The segment is home to office buildings, the 67th District Court, and multiple eateries and businesses.
Kiaira May, the DDA’s director, noted that all businesses would stay open throughout construction.
When board members asked about access to those storefronts during the next phase of the project, Neeley responded that the businesses “have all been made aware from the city’s standpoint” and kept generally “up-to-date” with communications and scheduling.
However, he went on to say that “no particular one-on-one outreach has been done with those businesses” regarding the next section of street closure.
May then noted that the DDA had a communication strategy in place, which includes social media posts, weekly newsletter updates, and potentially utilizing the city’s Alert Flint system to further notify residents.
For now, May shared after the meeting, the DDA is encouraging northbound traffic to use Harrison Street and southbound traffic to use Beach Street while the new construction is underway.
The overall Saginaw Street project involves restoring the historic roadway’s bricks, intersections and accessibility, alongside upgrading the water main that runs below it from Court Street to Riverbank Park.
The section of Saginaw from Court Street to Second Street is scheduled to be complete by early August 2023, before annual summer events in downtown Flint. Construction will then begin again after Labor Day with the hope of completing the segment of roadway between Second Street and First Street before winter.
No dates have yet been shared for the remaining section from First Street to Riverbank Park.
As an origin Flintstone, I remember the red bricks going to Pierson Rd. by riding the trolley cars. They were covered up. With the rehabilitation of N. Saginaw St. with housing and potential businesses, why not uncover the old red bricks?