TRAVERSE CITY — Monroe Street in Traverse City’s Slabtown neighborhood is due for an overhaul, both above and below ground.
Plans are to redesign and repave the street from Front to Bay streets, along with replacing the water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure beneath, City Engineer Anne Pagano said.
She showed city commissioners on Monday how the rebuilt street will have parking on both sides, narrowed pedestrian crossings called “bump-outs,” and a realigned intersection with Bay Street. Lanes will also be narrower, with two 10-foot travel lanes and two 7-foot parking lanes.
There’s more: water mains beneath the street are undersized, and will be upgraded to 8-inch mains, Pagano said. Storm sewers will be replaced, with three dry wells and 23 bioswales — curbside depressions planted with vegetation — planned to better handle stormwater.
“For sanitary sewer replacement, we’re replacing a very old, 100-year-old clay pipe in the street there that needs to be replaced pretty badly,” she said.
Estimates put the cost at $4 million, with money to come from the city’s sewer, water and street funds, Pagano said.
Commissioner Jackie Anderson asked about the 13 trees planned to be cut down, and the 20 trees that’ll be planted to replace them.
“I would like to know more about what they’re being replaced with, and can Monroe Street residents anticipate in their lifetimes getting back to that lovely overarching tunnel of trees on the street,” she said.
Zach Cole, a city civil engineer, replied that much of the trees are aged or dying, while three will be cut to add a length of sidewalk between Wayne and Bay streets. He wasn’t sure which species will be planted in spring 2027 but said he could find out — Mayor Amy Shamroe later noted the city has a policy of replanting native species that aren’t just for decoration.
Commissioner Heather Shaw said three-fourths of Monroe Street residents signed a letter asking for stop signs at intersections. Pagano responded they’re not warranted on Monroe Street, adding that’s based on an analysis of speeds, crash data and other factors.
“Putting stop signs where they’re not warranted can actually make it a more dangerous situation, because people won’t stop or speed up in between them, so it actually can make things worse,” Pagano said.
City Manager Benjamin Marentette told Shaw his office would respond to the petition, and Pagano reiterated the bump-outs and parking on either side should prompt slower driving.
Neighborhood resident Doug Kimball said some Slabtown streets with parking on both sides are too narrow, and essentially become one lane when they’re lined with parked cars.
“It’s either like a game of chicken, who’s going to get through, or are you going to lose your mirror,” he said.
Rick Venner, of the Grand Traverse Safe Streets Alliance, said he’s all for narrow streets, and suggested adding a speed hump like on Madison Street.
Shaw seconded this, but city Commissioner Ken Funk — a firefighter paramedic — said the city fire marshal opposed raised crosswalks in the past. They can interfere with large fire trucks trying to respond in a hurry.
Funk also asked about a lack of bicycle lanes on the redesigned streets. Pagano replied the road isn’t part of the citywide cycling corridor in the city’s mobility action plan, and that speeds and traffic volumes are low enough that cyclists and motorists can share the street.
While Cole said residents who live near existing bioswales along Madison Street have done well in voluntarily taking care of them, Mayor Pro Tem Laura Ness said that’s been inconsistent. The ones that have been tended to look fine, while others are overgrown and strewn with debris.
“I want to point that out, some consistency in how we maintain them is important,” Ness said. “I don’t think we can really rely on property owners to maintain that, unless it’s clear that it is their responsibility.”
Pagano responded that she wants to add funding to the city budget to either maintain the bioswales with city staff, or hire a landscaping company.
Work on the street will stretch through the 2026 construction season, Cole said in response to Commissioner Lance Boehmer. Crews will tear up two blocks at a time, and replace about 150 feet of water and sewer lines per day. Emergency vehicles will have access to each home, though water and sewer work will block access from the front to two or three homes per day.
He acknowledged the project will be tedious and might try residents’ patience.
“But when it’s all done, it’ll be a complete street and we won’t be back for a long time,” Cole said.