Traffic is funneled along Business Loop I-75 up the hill south of downtown St. Ignace Friday, August 28. The project, which was expected to be completed by August 26, is now expected to be done this week, or just after the Labor Day holiday. St. Ignace residents have complained that the construction project on Business Loop I-75 in St. Ignace has been a confusing obstacle to maneuver this summer. The St. Ignace Police Department reports that frequent complaints have been received, mostly by residents voicing concerns about the confusing nature of frequent lane changes along the 1.1-mile work area.

While some signal workers and traffic directors have been posted by the contractor along the construction zone, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) said workers could not be placed at every intersection and driveway because of the high number along the project area.

Crews now expect the project to be finished this week if weather is favorable, or early next week.

On August 26, the anticipated project completion date, police secretary Lori Strich said three or four calls were received about it from residents.

Many of these concerns were voiced by residents who found it difficult to perceive which was the proper traffic lane when entering the roadway from side streets and business driveways along the stretch.

Police Chief Tim Matelski said several residents have also told him personally that the construction process was difficult to navigate.

"Every place I go, people are complaining about it," Chief Matelski said.

City manager Eric Dodson said calls routinely came into the city's offices as well, and most of these callers were concerned about the traffic management on the project.

Payne and Dolan, a paving contractor based in Wakesha, Wisconsin, did most of the paving work and other independent contractors were brought in to complete other elements of the project such as gutters, drainage, and curb repairs and installation. All this was supervised by inspectors, engineers, and job supervisors from MDOT.

A number of factors contributed to the challenge from the workers' perspective, MDOT Delivery Engineer Peter Paramski said.

"There was a lot of confusion," Mr. Paramski said. The complexity of the project, he said, stemmed from the short stretch of road under construction, several side streets and commercial entries, and high traffic volume owing to summer tourism.

"It's busy, it's a tourist town," he said. "There were a lot of lane changes and people were packed into very short lanes."

The $1.3 million repair project began the week of July 6 and included removal of asphalt and cement road surfaces, asphalt repaving, drain improvements, and installation of barrier curbs. The last few weeks of the project saw a flagman on either end of the long hill going into town.

Weekly meetings MDOT held at the St. Ignace City Hall with city officials and local business owners were productive, Mr. Paramski said.

"We had a lot of interaction between ourselves, the contractors, and city officials," he said. "It was a cooperative effort."

Likely, Mr. Paramski said the project will be complete before press deadline, though if construction stretches into the week of September 7, he said crews would move all cones, barrels, and equipment off the road to allow free traffic and pedestrian flow during the Labor Day holiday.