St. Joseph City Commissioners have signaled their support for part of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s I-94 Business Loop reconstruction plan.
MDOT is going to rebuild Main Street in downtown St. Joe in 2027, and it’s floated a few related design plans to the city. At Monday’s regular meeting, city commissioners approved MDOT’s alternative plan of further design development for Main Street, Port Street, and Ship Street. City Manager John Hodgson told us it would lead to a few changes in the traffic patterns in the area.
“It would change the Business Loop heading into Benton Harbor from the current one-way pair on Ship and Port Streets and bring the Business Loop down to being a two-way street on Ship Street that would then swing around across the bridge,” Hodgson said. “That would also support transferring jurisdiction of Port Street from MDOT to the city of St. Joseph. So that would become a local street and the city would have more influence and ability to control the future of Port Street and how it’s designed in future years.”
Hodgson said if the city takes over control of Port Street, then it would no longer have to seek state permits for any work related to the street. MDOT’s Jonathan Smith said Monday the agency took over Port Street in 1967, and this proposal would just restore the old order.
The vote of support from commissioners this week isn’t the final step, and the matter will appear before them again.
Hodgson said it’s estimated maintaining Port Street would cost the city between $5,000 and $10,000 per year.
You can learn more about the MDOT proposal in the city’s commission’s agenda packet for Monday.
