Battle Creek lifts boil water advisory near East Kingman as the Washington Avenue bridge is back open

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Residents on parts of East Kingman Avenue and three nearby streets no longer need to boil their tap water, the City of Battle Creek said Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The city placed the area under a precautionary boil water advisory on Monday, Oct. 12. It covered East Kingman Avenue from Main Street to Grenville Street; Highway Street from Post Avenue to East Kingman Avenue; and Jericho Road and Illinois Street, each from East Kingman Avenue to East Alden Avenue.

Follow-up sampling confirmed that no coliform bacteria are present in the water supply, the city said in its notice lifting the advisory. Residents with questions can call Water Superintendent Cassie Allen at 269-966-3355, ext. 1827, or the city’s Verona Pumping Station at 269-966-3493.

Washington Avenue bridge reopens. Drivers again have a direct route between Dickman Road and Michigan Avenue. The M-89 (Washington Avenue) bridge over the Battle Creek River reopened last week, ahead of schedule, city officials told WWMT. The Michigan Department of Transportation had estimated the work would end Friday, Oct. 9.

MDOT and contractor C. A. Hull closed the bridge March 9. The $7.6 million project covered rebuilding and repairing the bridge, replacing its approaches, drainage improvements, new guardrail, signal work, relocating a water main and new pavement markings, according to MDOT. The state estimated the work would directly and indirectly support 64 jobs.

The posted detour during the closure used I-194 and Michigan Avenue. MDOT posts current lane closures on its Mi Drive map, and the city publishes local traffic advisories on its website.

Sources:
City of Battle Creek, “CANCELED Boil Water Advisory - East Kingman Avenue, Highway Street, Jericho Road, Illinois Street,” Oct. 14, 2026, https://www.battlecreekmi.gov/AlertCenter.aspx?AID=1054
Michigan Department of Transportation, “Washington Avenue bridge in Battle Creek closed starting March 9 for rebuilding,” March 2, 2026, https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2026/03/02/washington-avenue-bridge-in-battle-creek-closed-starting-march-9-for-rebuilding
Donny Ede, “Traffic returns to Washington Avenue as bridge work ends ahead of schedule,” WWMT News Channel 3, Oct. 9, 2026, https://wwmt.com/news/local/traffic-returns-to-washington-avenue-as-bridge-work-ends-ahead-of-schedule-battle-creek-repairs
Battle Creek News & Events, “Washington Avenue Bridge Reopens to Battle Creek Traffic,” Oct. 14, 2026, https://battlecreeknewsandevents.com/a/washington-avenue-bridge-reopens-to-battle-creek-traffic
Photo: Robert Pawelek, “Battle Creek River.jpg,” Aug. 27, 2008, Wikimedia Commons, public domain, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_Creek_River.jpg

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Tags: Battle Creek · News · Water · Roads · MDOT · Washington Avenue