Big Rapids awards $657,480 contract for summer street resurfacing

Big Rapids has awarded a $657,480 contract for its 2026 street-resurfacing program, directing more than half a million dollars toward pavement work on named city streets and a Northend Riverside Park facility.

The Big Rapids City Commission awarded the contract to Reith-Riley Construction at its May 11, 2026, meeting. The project was expected to begin during summer 2026, making the award the city’s key pavement-work update for the 2026 paving season.

Where the project will take place

The planned resurfacing includes the 100 and 200 blocks of North Michigan Avenue. The work also covers North Fourth Street extending to Northend Riverside Park and the parking lot at the new pavilion in Northend Riverside Park.

The locations include regularly traveled city streets as well as access to a city park facility. Residents, commuters, workers and park users should expect construction activity in the listed areas as the project moves forward. The planned result is improved road surfaces on the identified streets and at the pavilion parking lot after the work is completed.

The contract award also identifies the company responsible for the approved work. Reith-Riley Construction was the winning contractor, and the agreement sets the project amount at $657,480.

Exact construction timing has not been released

The available report says work was expected to begin during summer 2026, but it does not provide a final completion date or a detailed construction schedule. It also does not identify a final traffic-control plan or specific dates for street or parking-lot closures.

That means drivers and park users cannot yet determine from the approved material when a particular segment will be affected or whether a specific detour will be required. The contract confirms the work areas, contractor and cost, but additional construction notices would be needed to establish day-to-day access and traffic effects.

The available material also does not establish whether all of the listed work had been completed by Aug. 7, 2026. The most recent confirmed action in the source packet remains the May 11 commission award, with construction planned for summer 2026. No later completion update, closure schedule or final project deadline is provided.

For Big Rapids taxpayers and road users, the award provides a concrete account of how more than $657,000 is being directed to local pavement repairs. The next known step is the start of the planned summer resurfacing work; the timing and traffic arrangements beyond that remain unspecified.