There were high fives given all around Downtown Rochester on Tuesday afternoon as workers removed the barricades that had closed Main Street — four days earlier than originally planned.

The street opened, one way in each direction, around 12:30 p.m. 

One travel lane northbound and one travel lane southbound are open, along with left turn lanes at Second Street and University Drive.  University Drive is also open to traffic.  Third and Fourth streets at Main Street will remain closed for the next few weeks.

“Thank you to everyone who worked hard to complete Phase One of the project and for the cooperation of our businesses and residents to make this phase a huge success,” stated City Manager Jaymes Vettraino.  

“Now that this milestone has been crossed, the city looks forward to working with MDOT and Iafrate on the next phase of the project, which will include detailed and intricate work that will truly enhance Main Street.” 

The project, called the Main Street Makeover, began in April, but the complete closure started May 15. Merchants involved in the planning process overwhelmingly agreed to the complete closure in order to speed-up the project. 

The construction around the reopened two lanes will continue through November, though. Sidewalks and crosswalks are being replaced, and streetscape elements will be added throughout the coming months.

To coincide with the reopening, the Michigan Department of Transportation released a video that detailed the construction so far. 

For complete coverage of the project, visit the Main Street Makeover page on Rochester Patch.