Ilsa Matthes | Daily Press In this photo, taken from the driveway of the Alger Delta Electric office building, shows one of the many driveways approaches the city has installed as part of the 9th Street Project. In the distance, vehicles travel along the fresh pavement on the street itself.

GLADSTONE — The 9th Street Project, a complete reconstruction of the major Gladstone street, continues on schedule, according to City Manager Eric Buckman, who hopes to see the project completed by the middle of next month.

“If everything goes well, it should be done ahead of time,” said Buckman.

The 9th Street Project has been on the city’s to-do list for years. Plans for the project began in 2016 and were prompted by water issues behind buildings located on Delta Avenue. When former City Manager Darcy Long was still with the city, the project was supposed to begin in May of 2019 and wrap up that fall, but the scope of the work was changed after bids from contractors came in higher than expected. Later that year, Long’s contract with the city was terminated and Buckman took the helm, first as an interim city manager and later as the official city manager.

According to Buckman, the project is scheduled to be completed by Nov. 14, but it could be completed as early as mid-October if the work continues at its current pace. While the pace of work hinges on a number of factors outside of the city’s control, there is no reason at this point to believe the project would continue beyond the Nov. 14 deadline laid out in the city’s contract.

Work started April 15 on the project, which included the total reconstriction of the street, including storm drains, water and sewer lines, curb and gutter, and major work on 4th Street and Delta Avenue.

While tearing up the roadway has led to some complaints from residents, Buckman says the complaints are not atypical for a project of this scale.

“The contractors have been very good to work with. Especially a project this size, you’re going to get complaints about blocking driveways and this and that, but it’s a good complaint in that that means progress is happening,” said Buckman. “Now we’ve had a couple (or) three people come to the front deskat city hall and say how nice it is so it’s slowly turning the other way.”

As of Tuesday, the underground utilities were completed, curb and gutters were installed throughout the project area, and about half of the paving — which is being done in two parts — was completed. Driveway approach, sidewalk, and landscaping work was still ongoing.

In addition to being on schedule, the project is also coming in well within budget. The $4.36 million project is paid for in part by the Gladstone Downtown Development Authority, special assessments on properties with frontage along the roadway, and a federal grant administered by the Michigan Department of Transportation. The remainder is being paid for by the city itself.