Traverse City unanimously approves $3.2M for street upgrades, major Monroe Street reconstruction

Traverse City commissioners unanimously approved a bundled package of 2026 street projects that includes a major reconstruction of Monroe Street and authorizes a contract "not to exceed approximately $3.2 million plus a 10% contingency." The action was taken at the March 3, 2026 meeting and covers targeted roadway, pedestrian and utility upgrades across the city.

City staff described the authorization as a bundled set of projects rather than a single large contract; the package’s largest piece is the Monroe Street reconstruction identified in the authorization. The commission did not announce contractor names or detailed block limits, phasing, or traffic-control plans for Monroe Street at the meeting, leaving project timelines and precise construction impacts to be defined in the staff memos and contract documents.

The approval ties into a broader implementation push led by Colleen Paveglio, who was elevated to a newly created role as director of communications and strategic initiatives. Paveglio coordinated a survey of approximately 94 questions sent to every city department and told commissioners, "We are actively moving this plan to implementation." Her office will maintain internal tracking tools, oversee public-facing dashboards, and coordinate implementation across city divisions for the multi-year work plan.

Marentette instructed commissioners to route input in writing to him, saying he would surface common themes at future meetings; that guidance will inform a budget proposal Marentette is expected to deliver in May. Marentette’s written aggregation of commissioner input is intended to shape how the city sequences capital work alongside utility replacements and other priorities.

The $3.2 million authorization sits against a recent history of fluctuating capital investment in Traverse City. City Engineer Tim Lodge has said the city "normally averages $4.5 million annually in capital project work. But in 2021, that figure soared to $32 million." The 2021 spike included a nearly $5 million contract to repair the Park Street, East Eighth Street, and South Cass Street bridges and another nearly $3.8 million project to replace the West Front Street bridge.

That 2021 year-end recap also noted $7.5 million in grant funding secured, 1,861 trees planted, and 3,118 fire department responses, alongside infrastructure and sustainability investments. Traverse City Light & Power installed an electric vehicle charging network that included 12 dual port Level 2 and 3 DC fast chargers throughout the city, the city purchased two low-emission diesel tractors for snow blowing and maintenance, and staff upgraded lighting at the City Opera House and the city garage while improving boiler valves at the wastewater treatment plant and impervious pavers at the Old Town Garage to maintain LEED certification.

The commission’s approval on March 3 also advances elements of a unanimously approved multi-year work plan that touches road reconstruction, a Complete Streets advisory committee, a zoning ordinance rewrite, re-establishing a summer camp at Hickory Hills, and finishing downtown projects such as the Farmers Market Pavilion and Rotary Square. The plan lists full reconstruction of Seventh and Fourteenth streets under a Complete Streets model as a post-2030 goal, contingent on utility replacement timelines and a multi-year sequencing strategy tied to capital improvement planning.

With the March 3 authorization in hand and the May budget proposal on the horizon, city officials will need to release contract award details, project maps, and construction schedules to clarify how Monroe Street reconstruction and the other 2026 upgrades will affect traffic, sidewalks, and local businesses.