Wall to be replaced

A crumbling retaining wall on Lake Avenue will soon come down.

We have to take the old wall out and put the new one in without any homes sliding into the road, Grand Haven Project Manager Julie Beaton said.

Wade-Trim, a Grand Rapids-based engineering firm, was recently selected by Grand Haven officials to begin making plans for the walls replacement.

The scope of the approximately $53,000 project includes replacing the wall, and an assessment of sightlines and stopping distances to determine if conditions for vehicle and pedestrian traffic may be improved especially near the intersection of Edwards and Lake avenues.

Were going to have the engineers look and see if they can modify the wall to provide a safe pedestrian crossing, Beaton said. Were going to improve the sightlines as best as were able to.

Beaton said the hazards include a narrow road width and the distraction drivers face as they see Lake Michigan while rounding Lake Avenue toward Harbor Drive.

For the most part, people are going slow because it is so narrow, she said.

City Manager Pat McGinnis said is also hopeful that the area could be made more pedestrian-friendly.

We need to do that in an open public setting so that everyone knows what were talking about, he said.

To keep the public informed, meetings with City Council and the public to review the recommended design with an emphasis on changes in the retaining wall, street and sidewalk configurations, and the projected construction schedule and detour routes will be planned.

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Wall to be replaced