Courtesy photo The 9th Street update resolved flooding issues through infrastructure reconstruction, both above and below ground.

GLADSTONE — The 9th Street update was a success, according to Gladstone city officials.

City Manager Eric Buckman said the 9th Street project renovated the water mains, center sewer, storm sewer, paving, curb, gutter and sidewalks, covering needs both above and below ground.

The project started out as a fix for a stormwater issue due to flooding north and south of Delta Avenue in the alleys, and the flooding’s impact on businesses there.

The city began working on the project with the Downtown Development Authority, and it was determined that 9th Street was due for replacement. The alleys on Delta Avenue were replaced as well.

DDA/EDC Coordinator Ron Miaso said while the DDA is not allowed to repave, total infrastructure reconstruction is allowed through Public Act 57 of 2018.

Buckman, Department of Public Works supervisor Barry Barry Lund and Coleman Engineering Project Manager Scott Nowack drove the details of the project forward. When asked if everything the city planned to do was accomplished within the project, Buckman said yes, plus some things they hadn’t initially planed on. He also assured even though some sidewalks and drive approaches were added to areas that didn’t previously have them, the project remained on budget, falling below the projected $4.7 million.

Buckman said there were no major snags.

“Had to dance around the gas company a couple of times but that always happens on a project,” he said, referring to a few instances in which the gas company had to move their lines. Unlike gas lines, sewer lines have specific elevation requirements in order for the gravity feed to work, occasionally necessitating the relocation of a gas line.

Buckman said,the only concern with the project is a minor one — whether the grass that was seeded will make it through the winter.

“It’s hard to do fall seeding, because if it freezes and stays frozen, it will come up. But if it germinates and then freezes, it kills the small plants,” he said.

Buckman said the city is now moving on to another area. Project priority is determined by the Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating System (PASER) ratings done by Lund. The ratings are a standard for roads from the Michigan Department of Transportation. Per the ratings, 15th Street is next, also known as Skelton Road. The budget for the 15th Street project is just getting underway.