State awards $2m for Lake Antoine Road project
The Dickinson County Road Commission will receive more than $2 million to bring Lake Antoine Road back to all-season traffic status as part of an economic development project for Iron Mountain, state Rep. Ed McBroom said today.
Total cost for the six-part project on the route between US-2 near Quinnesec and US-2/US-141 north of Iron Mountain is projected at about $2.5 million – local funding matches will make up the 20 percent difference.
“Lake Antoine Road is a vital link for both local and regional commerce in the UP and I have been anxious for the state to recognize the road’s importance to our community, as well as the important role it serves in state’s road system,” said McBroom, R-Vulcan. “I will continue to work with our local officials and MDOT to see that state participation in rehabilitating and maintaining this significant road is completed smoothly.”
The project is anticipated to help create 190 jobs through the expansion of Systems Control’s facility in Iron Mountain. The company manufactures control and relay panels and enclosures used in the utility industry.
Upgrading Lake Antoine Road will provide a year-round alternate route between the highways to keep commercial traffic from downtown Iron Mountain, as well as a direct access link with the System Control facility for receiving raw materials and shipping their product.
To rehabilitate the road, the road commission will crush and shape the existing asphalt surface for repaving, as well as reconstruct the section near Lake Antoine Park that has suffered from sinking.