The last time the Alpena County Road Commission closed Alpena’s Bagley Street (in 2021 and 2022, for the reconstruction of the Bagley Street bridge), emergency crews responded to an influx of crashes along the detour route.

Now, the Road Commission will close Bagley again for a reconstruction of the entire street, and the same detour will be in place.

We encourage motorists to travel safely, keep out a watchful eye, and stay safe during the detour, which should only last about a month.

The Road Commission will close the entire street from M-32 to Long Rapids Road beginning June 17, News staff writer Steve Schulwitz reported recently.

The detour will direct motorists down Long Rapids Road to Chisholm Street, to 11th Avenue, and then to Washington Avenue to get to the M-32 corridor.

The project will consist of milling and resurfacing nearly an entire mile of Bagley Street for about $1.1 million.

The detour will force extra traffic into that route. Extra traffic means the potential for backups, which means frustrated motorists, and frustrated motorists tend to make more mistakes.

Give yourself extra time if you have to travel through the detour. Try to put additional space between you and the car in front of you. Keep it slow.

There’s no reason additional traffic has to mean additional crashes.

Taking a few extra precautions and driving more carefully can help prevent it.

Stay safe out there, Northeast Michigan.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)