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HOUGHTON -- Construction workers are chiseling their way through the concrete of Houghton’s main parking deck.

In May, Houghton City Council members approved the estimated 1.4 million dollar project.

“We applied for a grant about a year and a half ago, but we did not get that grant.  So we’re doing it all with our own money right now. We’re taking a lot of money out of savings and the parking fund. We’re increasing some of the fees downtown, so it’s going to take us a while to pay for this,” said Houghton City Manager Scott MacInnes. 

The structure was built in 1982, and it’s held together with cables. The city says they’re concerned about the current condition of the deck so workers are grinding an inch and a half down to the top of the cables for examination.

A few of the cables are rusted and once they are replaced concrete will be poured back on top of the cables.

Once that is completed, the second part of the project will begin.

“We’re going to change the parapet wall. There will be a new railing all around, and that’s the third phase of the project,” MacInnes said.

Construction on the deck will continue over the next two years, and the city says parking will still be available. The construction will not disrupt the flow of traffic.