M-28 Reconstruction Through Ontonagon Area Set for 2026

By Brian Bateman

The Michigan Department of Transportation awarded an $8,808,000 contract on Jan. 9, 2026, for reconstruction and repair work on 21.45 miles of M-28 through the Ontonagon area. The project runs from the Houghton/Ontonagon county line to Leo South Road.

For Ontonagon-area residents, freight operators, visitors and local businesses, the project means construction activity along a major regional route, with possible traffic controls, changing access, travel delays and temporary restrictions. The available records do not include a precise traffic-control plan for the village itself.

What the project includes

The contract covers a hot-mix asphalt overlay and cold milling, along with culvert work and storm-sewer repairs. It also includes guardrails, concrete curb, sidewalk ramps and new pavement markings.

Those elements are intended to address roadway condition, drainage and safety along the project corridor. The route extends through Ontonagon County, but the approved records do not establish that every listed improvement is inside the Village of Ontonagon limits.

The contract includes three-year materials and workmanship warranties. The project is identified as contract NH 07021-211057 in state records.

Schedule references in state records

State documents list construction activity beginning in 2026 and give an Oct. 28, 2026, completion date for the listed contract. One schedule reference identifies April 6, 2026, as a start date, while another identifies July 13, 2026, for a project segment.

Because the available Michigan records contain more than one start-date reference, the exact start date for each Ontonagon-area segment should be confirmed with the local MDOT office. The packet does not provide a current progress update, so these records do not establish whether the work is complete or on schedule as of Aug. 7, 2026.

Local infrastructure context

The Village of Ontonagon’s 2026 resolutions separately address local street-certification actions and water and sewer rate changes. Those municipal actions provide additional local infrastructure context, but the M-28 reconstruction is the development expected to have the most direct effect on regional travel and access.

People traveling through the area should plan for conditions to change as work proceeds. The project’s listed scope includes safety and drainage improvements, while the construction itself is expected to create work zones and possible delays along the corridor.