Traverse City eyes bridge repairs, Garfield sidewalk, Carnegie Building ideas

Traverse City commissioners weighed a $947,265 repair to the North Union Street Bridge and a $147,476 sidewalk infill on Garfield Avenue, two projects that will shape how people move through the city and how much the public pays for repairs in the months ahead.

The bridge work, proposed through a contract with Grand River Construction for up to $947,265 including a 10% contingency, would address a problem that has already forced restrictions onto the span. City engineer Anne Pagano said the bridge has carried weight limits since last spring because of severe corrosion at beam ends over the pier. The repair plan calls for fixing those beam ends, replacing a leaking expansion joint that contributed to the damage, and cleaning and painting all steel beams to prevent further deterioration. Grand River was the lowest of three bidders, and the Traverse City Downtown Development Authority is set to contribute $150,000 in TIF 97 funding. Construction is slated for spring 2027.

The Garfield Avenue project would add sidewalk on the east side of Garfield from just south of Boon Street to the southern end of the airport property, filling what the city has identified as a gap in the pedestrian network. The contract with AJ’s Excavating is proposed at up to $147,476.19, including contingency, and the work is expected to be completed this summer. City officials have said the project is meant to improve pedestrian safety, accessibility and connectivity along a corridor where walkers currently lose the sidewalk.

The commission also revisited the Carnegie Building, where the future remains unsettled after only two RFP responses came in, from Crooked Tree Arts Center and Traverse Area District Library. Crooked Tree moved into the building in 2015, while TADL had served as the Carnegie’s steward for nearly a century before relocating to Woodmere Avenue in 1999. Crooked Tree’s lease expires in October 2026, and the nonprofit has said the uncertainty has created job insecurity for its three full-time staff and one part-time employee and has halted long-term grant planning.

Crooked Tree says it serves more than 55,000 people annually and has more than 2,000 members across the state, with about 29,400 visitors and participants each year in Traverse City. TADL’s proposal would create a local history center and community center, while Crooked Tree wants to keep its galleries and programming and possibly expand lower-level classroom space. As public feedback has grown, city and library staff have proposed a co-location approach for the building, but Crooked Tree staff are urging commissioners to keep the original RFP process intact. City manager Benjamin Marentette said the city should have communicated more proactively, and the vote will show how Traverse City balances scarce public space, cultural use and competing civic priorities.