Quincy Street update
Bypass in preparation for future bridge project
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HOUGHTON - Progress continues on the Quincy Street construction corridor between Montezuma and Shelden avenues, a project that effectively resurrects a decade-old downtown traffic shortcut out of pure necessity.
Many local residents recall when neighboring Bridge Street was commonly used to bypass the Yooper Loop for motorists trying to access the Portage Lake Lift Bridge from Shelden Avenue. The City of Houghton officially ended that practice in 2014, converting Bridge Street into a southbound-only lane to protect the downtown district from being overrun by cut-through highway traffic.
Now, looming structural repairs to the lift bridge are forcing state and local engineers to reverse course. By utilizing Quincy Street instead of Bridge Street, planners are opening a high-capacity temporary bypass because upcoming bridge construction will make the standard Yooper Loop configuration unmanageable.
According to an Aug. 26 statement from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Quincy Street bypass is intended as a temporary measure designed to support regional traffic flow during the multi-year Portage Lake Lift Bridge overhaul, which is scheduled to begin in 2027.
To regulate the new flow, MDOT plans to install a temporary traffic signal at the intersection of Quincy Street and northbound US-41 (Shelden Avenue) prior to the start of the primary bridge work.
On Sept. 2, the City of Houghton released further details, noting that the Quincy Street bypass will serve as a critical link in overall traffic control and detour routing during certain stages of the bridge project. City officials emphasized that the routes have been planned to be as least disruptive to daily travel as possible.
The physical groundwork for the detour began Sept. 8 and is expected to wrap up around Oct. 2. As part of the project, MDOT is installing a short left-turn lane on Montezuma Avenue and repaving the tight S-curve descending Bridge Street down to Quincy Street. Coinciding with the state work, the City of Houghton is having the contractor pave the remaining municipal parking lot areas between Quincy and Bridge streets, ensuring all asphalt on the block is new when work concludes.
While most of the construction along Montezuma and Bridge has caused minimal disruption, Quincy Street and access to the downtown parking lot and deck were closed this week, from Monday, Sept. 21 through Wednesday, Sept. 23, for final grading and paving. City planners compressed the closure window specifically to minimize parking impacts for local residents and businesses.
Dan Weingarten, MDOT Superior Region communications representative, said the temporary bypass functions as a vital “short-circuit” alternative route for a specific flow of local traffic.
Currently, motorists coming toward downtown from M-26 who want to circle back to northbound US-41 are forced to navigate the entire length of the Yooper Loop configuration or travel deep into the east end of Houghton just to catch a side street back to Shelden Avenue.
"The idea is that this would provide a faster, more efficient way of getting some of the traffic between northbound 41 and southbound 41," Weingarten said. He noted that the temporary light will regulate traffic flow and maintain access to US-41 while the bridge project is underway and traffic delays are anticipated.
From MDOT's perspective, the primary goal is simply to shorten the distance motorists must travel to transition from M-26 to US-41. However, local drivers will undoubtedly recognize it as a means to escape the inevitable bottleneck that forms between the top of the Yooper Loop and the bridge approach.
"It may do that," Weingarten acknowledged. "It may take some of the pressure off the people who are trying to get across the Yooper Loop directly to the bridge, if they can access Montezuma, make a left turn and get back onto the bridge via Shelden Avenue."