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City of Walker - Kinney Avenue Reconstruction

Important Information

Kinney Avenue will be reconstructed from Lake Michigan Drive to Leonard Street. Improvements to the corridor include constructing a center turn lane, adding concrete curb and gutter, replacing the roadside ditches with storm sewer, and adding sidewalk on the east side of the roadway.

Road reconstruction is anticipated to begin the week of April 29 and be complete by the end of September. Construction work will generally be conducted between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, with possible work on Saturdays.

Access/Traffic: Kinney Avenue will be closed to through traffic but will stay accessible to residents in the immediate construction area and embedded neighborhoods. There may be times when access will be limited to either north or south as storm sewer is installed. Driveway access may also be interrupted for short periods of time but will be restored by the end each workday. For traffic that does not have a destination within the construction zone, Wilson Avenue will be the posted detour for this project.

Mail: The contractor will make the necessary arrangements with postal service to assure uninterrupted mail delivery. This will likely be with a pool of temporary mailboxes at either end of the project.

Garbage Pickup: The contractor will maintain uninterrupted garbage pickup. Please have your bin at the end of the driveway the night before pickup.

Contact

P&N Engineer
Tyler DeNooyer, PE, Project Manager
616-481-0693

P&N Construction Observer
Phil Kamp
616-522-5900

Contractor
Brenner Excavating
Ellen Bentley
269-793-7531

City of Walker
Scott Conners, PE
City Engineer
616-791-6792

August 30, 2024

Final paving was finished on Kinney Avenue yesterday!  However, due to the rain this morning and this afternoon, pavement markings have been rescheduled for Saturday morning, August 31.  After the pavement markings are installed, Kinney Avenue will be fully open to traffic again.

For residents along Kinney, please continue to water your grass throughout the warmer summer weeks and mow the grass (once it gets to a mowable length) to keep weed growth at a minimum and allow the grass to take hold.

August 27, 2024

The final week is here!  Due to the rain overnight and the chance of pop-up storms today, paving has been postponed today and has been rescheduled for Thursday, August 29 (weather dependent).

Work Completed Last Week

  • Manole covers were raised up to final roadway grade.
  • Final grading has been completed along Kinney Avenue.  All topsoil and grass seed has been installed.
  • General project cleanup has begun and mailboxes have begun to be moved back to their original locations.
  • Concrete improvements have been completed.

Anticipated Work This Week

  • The remainder of Kinney Avenue near Leonard Street and Lake Michigan Drive was milled Monday in preparation for the top layer of asphalt to be installed.
  • The final layer of asphalt is scheduled to be paved Thursday, August 29 (weather dependent) by Michigan Paving (see note below).

For residents along Kinney, please continue to water your grass throughout the warmer summer weeks and mow the grass (once it gets to a mowable length) to keep weed growth at a minimum and allow the grass to take hold.

Michigan Paving will have flaggers on site for final paving to direct local traffic.  Michigan Paving will do their best to help residents get to/from their homes, however, please expect delays during the work day. Plan to enter the project site from the south end at Lake Michigan Drive as only northbound traffic will be permitted during paving.
August 21, 2024

The end is in sight! We appreciate all of your patience during this important project for the City of Walker. The project anticipated to be open to traffic by the end of next week.

Work Completed Last Week

  • The aggregate base on Kinney Avenue was fine graded and the base course of asphalt was paved on Tuesday
  • Asphalt driveways behind the sidewalk were finished on Saturday
  • Manhole castings have begun to be raised to final grade within the roadway
  • Restoration of the grassy areas outside of the roadway along Kinney Avenue continued last week

Anticipated Work This Week

  • Manhole castings within the roadway will continue to be raised up the finished roadway elevation
  • Miscellaneous concrete improvements continued yesterday and will be completed today
  • Restoration of the grassy areas outside of the roadway will continue this week with grass seeding planned for the end of this week.
  • The final layer of asphalt is scheduled to be paved on Tuesday, August 28 by Michigan Paving.*
  • Pavement marking are currently scheduled for Wednesday, August 28 with the hope of opening Kinney Avenue to traffic by the end of next week.

For residents south of Edinboro where grass is beginning to grow, please continue to water these areas throughout the warmer summer weeks and mow the grass to keep weed growth at a minimum and allow the grass to take hold.

*Michigan Paving will have flaggers on site for final paving to direct local traffic, and will do their best to help residents get to/from their homes. However, please expect delays during the work day. Plan to enter the project site from the south end at Lake Michigan Drive as only northbound traffic will be permitted during paving.

The base course on Kinney Avenue was paved last week Tuesday
Three inches of asphalt was installed on Kinney on the base course. Asphalt rollers were used to compact the asphalt to provide longevity to the roadway base.
August 15, 2024

Thank you for your patience dealing with Wednesday’s road paving. Today’s construction activities on Kinney will involve installation of manhole castings in the road. Please continue to drive slowly and take care for any coned areas in the road.

August 13, 2024

Big changes are on the horizon this week on Kinney Avenue!  The base course of asphalt is scheduled to be paved on Wednesday.

Work Completed Last Week

  • Completed the vast majority of the concrete sidewalk, curb and gutter, and driveway installation within between GVSU Private Drive and Leonard Street.  Various sections of failing concrete curb and gutter in the commercial district near Lake Michigan Drive were replaced at half width to allow for business access.
  • Placed topsoil between Macey and Leonard Street
  • Continued to replace and adjust curb boxes
  • Fine graded the aggregate base from GVSU Private Drive to Edinboro Street in preparation for paving

Anticipated Work This Week

  • Fine grade the remainder of the aggregate base from Edinboro Street north to Leonard Street on Tuesday
  • Pave the base course of asphalt on Kinney Avenue between GVSU Private Drive and Leonard Street on Wednesday, August 14 (weather dependent)
  • Raise up manhole covers up to the roadway elevation within the roadway starting Thursday
  • Install the remainder of the concrete ADA ramps and driveways/gutters south of GVSU Private Drive toward the end of the week
  • Continue to place and grade top soil north of Edinboro Street
  • Asphalt driveways behind the sidewalk are scheduled to be paved Saturday, August 17
  • The final course of asphalt is anticipated to be paved on Tuesday, August 20 (weather dependent)

Michigan Paving will have flaggers on site to direct local traffic on Wednesday when the base course is paved.  Michigan Paving will do their best to help residents get to/from their homes, however, please expect delays during the work day.

The aggregate base is being fine graded this week in anticipation of paving on Wednesday.
With the exception of a few ADA ramps, all concrete curb, sidewalk, and driveways have been installed north the GVSU Private Drive.
August 8, 2024

Last week was focused on concrete installation.  This week will include more concrete improvements and topsoil restoration. 

Work Completed Last Week

  • Installed concrete curb and gutter throughout the project with the exception of the radii at Imperial Drive and Thornwyk Drive.  Sidewalk and driveway approaches were installed on the west side Kinney on the north end of the project.
  • The storm sewer was partially televised using a CCTV camera to verify proper installation.
  • The remaining storm sewer was removed within the project.

Anticipated Work This Week

  • Concrete improvements will begin continue between Edinboro Street and Leonard Avenue.  For all affected residents, please refrain from driving over the concrete sidewalk until driveways are reopened (approximately 7 days to allow for proper curing).  Please park on the gravel surface of the new road or a nearby side street.
  • The grassy areas north of Edinboro Street will continue to be restored and graded with topsoil.
  • Asphalt paving has not been scheduled yet but the first course of asphalt is planned to be installed over the next 1 to 2 weeks.
The GVSU Private Drive area has been fully restored and the grass is continuing to come in at the expanded detention basin.
The mainline curb and gutter was completed last week using a concrete curb machine.
August 5, 2024

Today’s construction activities on Kinney Ave will involve concrete sidewalk and driveway installation between Edinboro St and Carrington Dr.  Please continue to keep vehicles off of fresh concrete until driveways have been reopened.

July 31, 2024

Today’s construction activities on Kinney Ave will involve concrete curb and gutter installation between Edinboro St and Carrington Dr.  Please follow the information given in driveway access handouts and keep vehicles off of fresh concrete until driveways are reopened.

Now that the aggregate base is fully installed along Kinney Avenue, this week is focused on installing the remainder of the concrete improvements.  Here’s a brief update on progress:

Work Completed Last Week

  • The southbound lane of Kinney Avenue was built up to the aggregate base, completing the gravel installation.
  • Concrete sidewalk was installed on the east side of Kinney Avenue between Edinboro Street and Leonard Avenue (gapping at driveways).
  • Sections of sidewalk were replaced in the commercial district south of GVSU Private Drive.
  • Grading and topsoil restoration and grass seeding has been completed along Kinney Avenue between the GVSU Private Drive and Edinboro Street.  For affected residents: Continued watering of the newly restored grass areas will give the grass the best chance of growing adequately over the remaining summer months.  Grass should be mowed once it grows to a mowable length do keep any weed growth down.

Anticipated Work This Week

  • The remainder of the old storm sewer will be removed within the project area

Concrete improvements will begin between Edinboro Street and Leonard Avenue.  Concrete will begin Wednesday, July 31 starting with curb and gutter at Edinboro Street working north, followed a shortly thereafter with driveway approaches and sidewalk through driveways.  For all affected residents, please refrain from driving over the concrete sidewalk until driveways are reopened (approximately 7 days to allow for proper curing).  Please park on the gravel surface of the new road or a nearby side street.

Kinney Avenue has been widened to three lanes. Between GVSU Private Drive and Edinboro is largely finished.
18 inches of sand was installed under the gravel base for road support.
All of the old corrugated metal pipe storm sewer will be removed by the end of this week and replaced with reinforced concrete pipe.
July 25, 2024

Today’s construction activities on Kinney Ave will be concentrated near Carrington Dr and will include heavy truck traffic. Kinney Ave will be temporarily blocked throughout the day, and Carrington will be closed for the day at Kinney Ave. Local traffic seeking to travel through this area should expect delays or seek an alternate route.

July 24, 2024

Now that underground storm sewer has largely been completed, the focus of the project is shifting to rebuilding the roadway and replacing the hard surfaces.  At this time, the project remains on schedule to be completed mid-to-late August.  See below for an update on progress:

Work Completed Last Week

  • With the exception of one yard basin lead, all underground storm sewer has now been completed
  • The southbound lane of Kinney Avenue has been built up to the aggregate base from the GVSU Private Drive north past Thornwyk Drive
  • The old gas main has been abandoned and the new gas main has been completely tied in
  • Grading and topsoil restoration and grass seeding has been completed along Kinney Avenue between the GVSU Private Drive and Edinboro Street.  For affected residents: Continued watering of the newly restored grass areas will give the grass the best chance of growing adequately over the remaining summer months.  Grass should be mowed once it grows to a mowable length do keep any weed growth down.

Anticipated Work This Week

  • The roadway will be built up to the aggregate base within the southbound lane of Kinney Avenue from Thronwyk Drive to Leonard Avenue.
  • Concrete sidewalk will be installed on the east side of Kinney Avenue between Edinboro Street and Leonard Avenue beginning today.  Sidewalks through driveways will be gapped out to allow for driveway access for now until curb and gutter and driveway approaches are installed at a later date.

The remainder of this weeks’ construction activities will be concentrated between Macy Drive and Leonard Street. Local traffic seeking to travel through this area should expect delays or seek an alternate route.

All disturbed grass areas between GVSU Private Drive and Edinboro Street have been restored with topsoil, seed, and fertilizer.
Brenner is continuing to place sand subbase, underdrain, and aggregate base along the southbound lane of Kinney Avenue.
Grades are being checked constantly with survey-grade GPS equipment to ensure that the roadway is built to the appropriate grades and thicknesses.
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