By Gari Voss
As of mid-December 2026, about 90% of the engineering plans for the 2026 Phase of the Allegan Street Project are complete, but by listening to residents and their questions, the Abonmarche engineers and Allegan City Hall can make adjustments. The timeline for the projects, including which streets will be affected when, and details regarding how residents and customers can access their homes and businesses will not be available until a contractor is selected. In the meanwhile, those interested can stop at City Hall and make an appointment to discuss the improvement plans with staff.
To facilitate the conversation, Abonmarche engineers and Allegan City staff shared introductory information about the project. When addressing the needs along the 1.6 miles of road, there would be 6,800 feet of water main replaced plus lead service lines. 5,800 feet of sanitary sewer replacement along with 1,600 feet of storm sewer. To complete the project, sidewalks will be replaced on an as-need basis.
The endeavor seems rather lofty to some, but the Rossman Park neighborhood homes date back to the 1800s. In the 1930s, drinking water and sanitary infrastructure were installed. These lines are almost a century old. Much of the reconstruction will be beyond the naked eye, but residents will notice the resurfacing of all of the roads in the north and south sections of the neighborhood.
A pre-construction meeting will be held on a date in March 2026. During that meeting, more answers will be given regarding scheduling, trash pickup, mail delivery, detours, driveway accessibility, utility service coordination, and communication. In the meanwhile, questions can be directed to Abonmarche Project Manager Leah Bectel at lbectel@abonmarche.com or City Manager Joel Dye at jdye@cityofallegan.org.
