A full road closure may begin next week on the 1000 block of West A Street and the 1000 block of West Hughitt Street, the city council learned Monday.

As dewatering operations begin, streets should remain open to through traffic, but some driveways may be blocked by equipment. Road closures and excavation will likely start Monday.

This is the only area scheduled to be torn up this fall, although there’s a chance that state budget delays will make more crews available, City Manager Jordan Stanchina said.

Bacco Construction Co. of Iron Mountain picked the two-block area for fall completion because it’s the most challenging for dewatering, Stanchina explained. Groundwater infiltration caused delays in sanitary sewer repairs on nearby Tamarack Street after a sinkhole formed in the summer of 2022.

Materials are readied Tuesday for a water and sewer project on West A Street in Iron Mountain. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)

The overall $18.4 million project includes 11,900 feet of gravity sanitary sewer and 13,900 feet of water main; 426 lead water service replacements; and associated road restoration totaling about 2.5 miles. Much of the work will be done in areas of West A, West Hughitt and East C streets, along with Walker and Fairbanks streets.

Construction bids were opened in June, with Bacco’s the lowest among three at $15.4 million.

The water project is funded through a $10.64 million loan and $2.666 million grant from Michigan’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. An anticipated loan of $7.63 million from USDA Rural Development will finance the sewer portion.

In other action Monday, the council awarded a bid of $572,532 to Payne and Dolan of Gladstone for nearly a mile of general street paving, along with more than a half-mile of alleys. Payne and Dolan’s bid was $7,775 lower than a competing bid from Bacco.

It’s not known if all of the paving will be done this fall, Stanchina said. Much of it is in areas accompanied by underground work where there’s a need to restore the surface. Some work, however, hasn’t been done yet.

The scheduled paving includes:

— Fairbanks Street and Golfview Drive, a loop of 1,620 feet connecting to North Hemlock Street.

— Hemlock Street, 470 feet from Fairbanks to Walker streets.

— Fleshiem Street, 300 feet from Tamarack Street to the end.

— Tamarack Street, 250 feet from Fleshiem to Wells streets.

— East Grant Street, 940 feet from U.S. 2 to Pewabic Street.

— Bayshore Drive, 790 feet from East Grant to Margaret streets.

— East end of Bayshore Drive, 305 feet.

— East Grant Street, 350 feet from Bayshore Drive to Margaret Street.

The alley paving calls for 2,655 feet along East B and East A streets, and 650 feet along Margaret Street near West Main Street.

Regarding other city work, the council approved payment of $124,683 to Ultra Construction Services of Marquette for ongoing lead service line replacements. This will bring total payments to date to $1.265 million, or about 30% of the project.

Ultra was awarded a contract in July 2024 to replace 375 or more lead service lines in a project funded through a Drinking Water State Revolving Fund grant of $2.24 million and a loan of $2.33 million. DWSRF is administered by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 85226, or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.