It's the Final Week of Downtown Rochester's Main Street As We Know It

The Main Street Makeover, which will involve the total rebuilding of Main Street from the Paint Creek Bridge to the Clinton River Bridge in downtown Rochester, will officially begin April 2.

That's the day when crews will begin the prep work for the project, which will completely tear up and replace the main road through downtown.

But the moment we're all waiting for — when they completely close the road from University Drive to Second Street — is still about a month away.

According to Rochester City Manager Jaymes Vettraino, the total closure will happen sometime in May. It will last 12 weeks; business owners and city leaders opted to have the total closure to speed up the overall project.

Main Street is deteriorating and it is being rebuilt with help from the Michigan Department of Transportation. When it is finished, the project will include new streetscape features.

The official detour route will be Second Street to Water Street to University Drive. Walnut Street is a secondary detour route.

Read more about the project in