Kentwood Summer Road Projects

By WKTV Staff
greer@wktv.org
May 23, 2025

The City of Kentwood has announced its tentative road construction and maintenance schedule for the summer.

The $1.2 million reconstruction, resurfacing and maintenance program has been approved by the City Commission and includes improvements to approximately 15.5 lane miles of major and local roads. Work will begin in June and is expected to be completed by November.

Planned street reconstruction, resurfacing and maintenance projects include:

Milling and repaving of 52nd Street SE from Breezefield Drive to M-37.
Milling and repaving of 52nd Street from Division to Eastern avenues.
Milling and repaving of Breton Avenue SE from 44th to 52nd streets.
Milling and repaving of Kalamazoo Avenue from 52nd to 60th streets.
Other preventative street maintenance work throughout the city, including routine street marking, crack sealing and patching.

Signs will be placed on major streets to give drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists advance notice of when closures will begin.

“The City of Kentwood is committed to maintaining the quality of our community’s roads, which contribute to public safety and sound city infrastructure,” City Engineer Brad Boomstra said. “We recognize construction can be inconvenient, so our crews are committed to working efficiently to reduce disruptions as much as possible.

“We appreciate the support and understanding of our residents and businesses as we complete these essential improvements.”

The 52nd Street work from Breezefield to M-37 will be completed in two consecutive phases starting in June.

During the first phase, 52nd Street will be closed from west of East Paris Avenue to M-37 from June to July. During the second phase, 52nd Street will be closed from Breezefield to East Paris from July to August.

Throughout the project, the road will be open to local traffic only. Property owners affected by this project will be informed by letter. Mail delivery and trash pickup will not be disrupted.

The 52nd Street work from Division to Eastern will begin in June and last about nine weeks, with construction expected to wrap up in August.

Throughout the project, one lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction. Drivers are encouraged to use the detour route of 60th Street to Eastern Avenue SE to avoid delays.

The Breton Avenue project is expected to begin in August and end in November. Throughout the project, northbound and southbound traffic will be maintained, but will be limited to one lane in each direction. Drivers are encouraged to use Kalamazoo Avenue to avoid delays.

The Kalamazoo Avenue project is expected to start in June and end in August. During the project, northbound and southbound traffic will be maintained, but will be limited to one lane in each direction.

Patching and crack sealing will take place on several neighborhood streets in June to prepare them for cape sealing. Cape sealing creates a smooth surface with increased durability. These projects take two non-consecutive days, with the cape seal treatment requiring up to a few hours to dry before being ready for traffic.

Drivers are asked to proceed slowly and stay alert when traveling through road project areas. On-street parking will not be allowed during cape sealing.

Residents in the neighborhoods where these projects will take place will be informed by letter. They are encouraged to follow the construction crew’s instructions for the best access to their home.

The City’s road maintenance decisions are based on a variety of data, including ratings from the annual Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating System, or PASER. This rating system compares the quality of roadway segments and assigns a rating for road pavement conditions based on visual inspections.

Kentwood maintains some of the highest-rated major streets in Kent County based on PASER, according to data compiled by the Grand Valley Metro Council, which rates Kentwood’s road network annually.

Last year, the City invested in improvements to 41.24 miles of major and local roads. Major streets included in the 2024 reconstruction, resurfacing and maintenance program were: