The Bessemer City Council a step closer to finalizing the planned detour

BESSEMER — The Bessemer City Council came a step closer to finalizing the planned detour to be employed during the 2022 portion of reconstruction of U.S. 2 through the city.  Michigan Department of Transportation officials presented the plans during a public hearing which preceded Monday’s regular city council meeting.  Since the meeting was virtual, it appeared that there may have been some difficulty in making comments, so the council decided to put off making a decision until its next regular meeting, set for 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5.  That said, a plan which hinges on using residential streets a block south of U.S. 2 and a block north of U.S. 2, namely three blocks of Iron Street, is likely to approved.  The major pinch will involve using of West Galena Street and Longyear Street for most of the summer. The section of Iron Street is estimated to be used briefly, perhaps for as little as three weeks.  City manager Charly Loper said MDOT, city officials and others looked at routes further outside of town, including use of Old U.S. 2 through Yale Location, but the need to do reconstruction of utilities at the U.S. 2-Moore Street intersection rendered that plan impractical.  Other options included streets which simply are too steep for truck traffic.  MDOT was required to consider the impact of the project on historic buildings, and the only one which is qualified for historic designation is A.D. Johnston High School.  The project will take a portion of the schoolyard to widen the turning radius from Moore Street west on U.S. 2, but the change will move a tourist sign, light standard and traffic control pole, but have no substantive impact on the school.  The mayor asked if the decision can be delayed for one meeting, and the council voted unanimously to hold the period for written questions or comments open until October