Grand River dam removal begins in downtown Grand Rapids

After about 18 years of planning, construction is underway on the Grand River Restoration project in downtown Grand Rapids. In-river work began July 1, 2026, starting a multiyear effort to remove four low-head dams and reshape a roughly 30-acre section of the river corridor.

The project area stretches between the Bridge Street and Fulton Street bridges in the heart of the city. City materials identify the Grand River Habitat Restoration Project as being downstream of the Sixth Street Dam.

The dams will be replaced with natural rock features, including boulder arches, riffles and habitat boulders. The design is intended to restore historic rapids and improve river habitat rather than leave the existing low-head structures in place.

A long-planned change to the downtown river

The start of construction marks a significant change for the river corridor, but it is not the completion of the restoration. The work is expected to continue through the end of 2027, according to project reporting.

Grand Rapids Whitewater and the City of Grand Rapids are among the entities associated with the restoration effort. The project also involves the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The city describes the Grand River Restoration as an active project and says July 1 marked the start of dam removal and the return of the rapids.

Because the work is taking place in the river, conditions in the project area will change as construction progresses. The current work represents the beginning of the removal effort; the four dams have not all been removed, and the historic rapids have not yet been fully restored.

What the project could mean locally

The project is reshaping the river corridor that gave Grand Rapids its name. Its intended effects extend beyond the structures themselves: restoring natural river features is expected to support habitat improvements and change how the downtown river is experienced.

The restoration also has implications for downtown recreation, river safety and long-term redevelopment. Those are longer-term outcomes of the project, however, and the expected completion date does not establish when every recreational use or access opportunity will be available.

The scale of the work is defined by both its location and its footprint. Four low-head dams are being addressed across about 30 acres of river corridor between two downtown bridges. That places the project directly within one of the city’s most visible public landscapes.

Next step

Construction is expected to remain underway until the end of 2027. As the work continues, the central change will be the gradual replacement of the low-head dams with boulder arches, riffles and habitat boulders designed to re-create a more natural river setting.

The project’s next major milestone is completion of that construction. Until then, the downtown Grand River is a work zone in transition: the restoration has begun, but its final river features and full intended benefits remain ahead.