The weather is finally warming up and drying out, which means summer road projects will soon get started in the Copper Country, with the reconstruction of Quincy Street in Hancock being one of the bigger projects.

Dan Weingarten, Michigan Department of Transportation communications representative at the MDOT Ishpeming Transportation Service Center, said the $7 million Quincy Street project will begin the first week in May. It actually begins with work on one block of Reservation Street from Front Street to Quincy Street. The work on Quincy Street will take place in segments to Lincoln Drive, and is expected to be completed in October. It involves rebuilding the road bed, installing a new surface, and doing a streetscape project.

“That’s by far the biggest one,” Weingarten said of the Quincy Street project.

In June, Weingarten said MDOT will also resurface a section of U.S. 41 in Mohawk from the No. 6 Road to First Street, a distance of about 1.3 miles. That project is estimated to cost $350,000.

In October, Weingarten said a traffic signal will be installed at Razorback Drive and M-26 in Houghton. The signal is needed because of an increase in traffic at the intersection. The cost for that project is about $130,000.

At the border of Baraga and Houghton counties, Weingarten said resurfacing of M-28 will take place from County Road HCL to Kitchie Road and County Road BCL to Leo Road South, a distance of about 16 miles. The $1.3 million project is expected to last from June to August.

Douglass Mills, Baraga County Road Commission engineer, said the road commission has several projects set for this construction season.

As soon as the weight restrictions come off in early May, Mills said a rehabilitation of Bellaire Road in Baraga Township will begin. That project involves putting down new asphalt on two sections of road, one about .9 of a mile and the other about 1.4 miles. That project will be paid for with federal funds.

Mills said three projects will take place in Spurr Township, including the continuation of a large drainage project. A maintenance project on the Beaufort Road bridge over the Spurr River will take place, as will another bridge project on the Imperial Heights Road.

In L’Anse Township, Mills said, the BCRC will resurface Ford Farm Road.

For many years, state funding for road construction and maintenance has been reduced, and MIlls said money for county road projects is still an issue. The Legislature recently changed the formula for road and transportation funding, but that money has not made it to counties, yet.

“Some of that new fund will be a little bit later,” he said.

However, there is still some federal money available for road projects, Mills said.

Kevin Harju, Houghton County Road Commission engineer, said in mid-May, county crews will begin a project to repave Red Jacket Road in Calumet Township from U.S. 41 to Fifth Street at the Keweenaw National Historical Park’s Calumet Visitor Center.

“We did all the design work and will do the inspections,” he said.

The contractor for the $750,000 project is B & B Construction of Calumet, Harju said.

Work will begin at the end of the road at the visitor center, Harju said. After the Public Schools of Calumet, Laurium & Keweenaw go on summer break, the other end of the road will be worked on. The project is expected to be completed by Aug. 19.

There will be a public informational meeting about the project at 1 p.m. May 4 in the Calumet Township office on Red Jacket Road, Harju said.

A resurfacing and drainage project will take place on 3.4 miles of Pike River Road between Chassell and Portage roads, Harju said. The contractor for the $782,000 project is Payne & Dolan.

A bridge over the West Branch of the Sturgeon River on South Laird Road in Laird Township will have its deck resealed and the approaches will be reconstructed, Harju said.

The road commission is in discussions about several other posible projects in the county, Harju said.

“We’re working with townships for several projects to be determined,” he said.