The closure you're driving around downtown right now is the shortest part of Davison's street project. The city's target for reopening Mill Street between Main and Lapeer is November 20, 2026. That's two weeks before the Christmas on Main Parade of Lights. Most of the other streets on the project list don't see a water main crew until March or April 2027. If you live on one of those streets, this fall is the calm before your turn.
All of this comes from the City of Davison's posted updates, dated September 3, 14 and 24 and October 8, 2026. Read together, they show a plan that finishes the downtown connector first, slows down for winter and saves most of the work for next year.
Why the Ground Is Open at All
The project replaces water mains that date to the 1930s. According to the city's October 2025 public hearing presentation, those mains had pressure and break problems. At that hearing, the water system work was priced at $11.15 million. Sanitary sewer was $1.47 million, collector tile was $450,000 and road reconstruction was $4.4 million.
The funding came together slowly. The city tried three times for Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund money and didn't get it. It ended up with a low-interest USDA Rural Development loan, to be repaid from the Water Fund over 20 years. The $4.4 million for roads is a state appropriation approved in the FY26 budget. The cost figures don't all match. A state House release from October 2025 put the water work at $11.7 million, a bit above the city's own number.
The city's project FAQ names Pamar Enterprises Inc. as the prime contractor, with subcontractors handling other parts of the work.
Here's what that means for this fall. Water main work has to come before paving, and paving can't wait until January. So the city picked one street to finish this year.
Mill Street Goes First, on a Tight Clock
Work started September 14 with tree removals. Mill Street closed to traffic between Main and Lapeer, and the first section of new pipe went in on September 24. By October 8, the city said water main installation on that block was done and the contractor was pressure testing and disinfecting the line.
The schedule for that one block looks like this:
- October 15 to 23: Each Mill Street property gets switched over to the new main. The city will contact properties one at a time, and each switch causes a partial-day water interruption. If your water is discolored afterward, the city says to flush your lines and clean out any filters.
- Through November: Curb and gutter, sidewalk and HMA paving.
- November 20: The city's current completion target for Mill between Main and Lapeer.
That date has already moved once. The September 14 update said Mill would be rebuilt and open "by early December." Ten days later, the city gave the more specific November 20 date. The October 8 update adds that all of the work depends on the weather and the schedule can shift after rain.
Getting Downtown While Mill Is Closed
The city said on September 24 that every business on Mill Street was open. You can still reach the parking lots on both sides of Mill from Main Street and North Davison.
The Davison DDA directory lists these businesses on or right next to the closed block:
- On Mill: Nat's Hair World XO at 214 Mill St., Pariseau's Printing at 218 Mill St., and Peak Performance Family Chiropractic at 314 Mill St.
- Food on N. Main, steps from the corner: El Charrito at 203, Bear Soup Deli at 211, Agitated Grape Bar & Bistro at 310, and Davison Home Bakery at 331.
- Shops on the same stretch: Elixir Clothing at 231, Deadstock Curiosities & Vintage at 312, Small Town Coins at 309, and Palace Jewelers at 321.
The directory doesn't show hours, so check with a business before making a special trip.
The Second Closure Sits Out in the Township
The other big detour around Davison isn't part of the city project. The Genesee County Road Commission is widening Lapeer Road between M-15 and the CL Ward driveway. Westbound traffic still gets through. Eastbound drivers are detoured from Lapeer Road to Gale Road to Davison Road and back to M-15, and the reverse coming back. The Road Commission expects to finish at the end of November. Its own release gives an August 24 start, while its project table and Davison Township's notice say August 27. Either way, both closures are scheduled to wrap up within about ten days of each other.
What Winter Actually Looks Like
After Mill Street, the crews keep working through the cold months, but the work moves somewhere else:
| Location | What happens this winter | When the street work comes |
|---|---|---|
| Mill St., Main to Lapeer | Fully rebuilt and paved | Target Nov. 20, 2026 |
| N. Lapeer St., Mill to Third | New water main, then a temporary surface by early December, maintained all winter | Road work March/April 2027 |
| N. Davison St. | Waiting | Road work March/April 2027 |
| Manford Park / Juniper Drive area | Water main crews, early November through January | Per city schedule |
| All other project streets | Waiting | Water main work starts March/April 2027 |
North Lapeer is the street with the longest wait. It gets a new water main this fall, drives on a temporary surface all winter and doesn't get rebuilt until spring. Consumers Energy has also been replacing gas mains and services on Lapeer and Third ahead of the city work. That means some blocks see two separate crews before any finished pavement goes down.
The 2027 List Is Long
The streets in the tree removal notice give a good preview of next year's work. Besides Mill and N. Lapeer, the list includes N. Davison Street, W. Bay Street from Charles Street to M-15, Charles Street, JFK Court, N. Genesee Street from the railroad to W. Bay, N. Dayton Street, Garland Street from 2nd Street to W. Flint Street, W. 2nd Street from Aloha Street to W. Genesee, S. Davison Street from the dead end to Clark Street, and E. Lexington Street. The city's FAQ counts 14 work areas in all: 12 streets plus Manford Park and Collingwood Apartments.
The city's budget is also split across two years, with the larger share in the first. The Capital Improvement Plan the council approved in June 2026 sets aside $4.3 million for water distribution in FY 2026–27 and $3.2 million in FY 2027–28. Road spending is $2.5 million and then $1.771 million over those same two years.
The city's stated goal is to have every street fully reopened by December 2027, with many open before that November.
The tree stumps along these streets are part of the schedule too. They stay in the ground until crews rebuild that street. Replacement trees go in after the project wraps up, in fall 2027. Back in September, homeowners losing a front-yard tree got a letter from the contractor with contact information in case they wanted to keep the lumber.
Why November 20 Matters to the Holiday Calendar
The Davison DDA has scheduled Christmas on Main, Parade of Lights, for Friday, December 4, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. on Main Street. Parade lineup is at 5:30 p.m. at the fire hall. Entries have to be lighted, and applications are due to the DDA by the end of November.
Mill Street matters here for one reason. The most recent route map the city has posted is for the 2021 parade, and that parade started on Mill Street, ran along Main and ended at Fourth and Davison. No route for 2026 has been published. If November 20 holds, the old starting street will be freshly paved two weeks before the parade.
Three other things on the calendar don't depend on Mill Street at all:
- Davison Farmers Market at 8110 E. Court St. has a craft show every Saturday on its tentative 2026 calendar, from November 7 through the Christmas Craft Show on December 19.
- Holiday Happenings Craft Show runs November 14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the St. John parish hall, 450 N. Dayton Street. Admission is $1, or free if you bring a non-perishable donation. N. Dayton was on this fall's tree removal list, but its water main work isn't scheduled until 2027.
- Trail of Lights at the Robert Williams Nature and Historical Learning Center, 10069 E. Atherton Road, has walking nights December 11–12 and 18–20 and tractor-wagon rides December 13, all from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Davison Township's fall and winter program also lists Slices with Santa on December 19 and a reindeer party on December 20.
You can check for new posts on the city's infrastructure project page. Each one is added to the top of the same page, so every date in this article can be checked there.
If your house is on one of the 2027 streets and you're thinking about selling, keep the construction calendar in mind. A stump in the front yard or a street with no pavement changes how a listing photographs and how a showing goes, so the timing is worth working out early. If you'd like to talk through how the project schedule lines up with your plans, Jeremy Taljonick can help you put together a timeline. Schedule a consultation whenever it's convenient.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
