Cement blocks cover sections of a retaining wall on West Ludington Street in Iron Mountain in this April 17 photo. The city plans to lower the height of the stone wall, which may date back more than a century. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo, file)

IRON MOUNTAIN — A century-old retaining wall at the intersection of West Ludington and South Pine streets in Iron Mountain will be reduced in height under a safety plan the city council endorsed Monday.

City Manager Jordan Stanchina said the cost might be in the range of $550,000, which is within the budget. It would involve placing a precast concrete wall at the bottom of the existing stone wall. Any wall above the 3-foot, 6-inch height of the new wall will be removed, he said.

Removing the entire wall would mean taking out the upper portion of Ludington Street, which splits when approaching from the east. Now, traffic can be kept open on both the upper and lower sections, Stanchina said.

“The area below the upper road will be sloped down into the new retaining wall,” he explained. “The upper and lower of Ludington could be either marked as one-way or a narrow road with two-way, similar to an alley.”

Coleman Engineering Co. of Iron Mountain is expected to prepare a bid package that the council can review at its Dec. 16 meeting.

Although city officials say the stone wall isn’t in danger of collapsing, it has been patched many times. Cement blocks have been placed in front of vulnerable sections that are marked with traffic cones and barricades. Removing the upper portion might cut the height of the wall roughly in half in some areas.

The city plans to use federal American Rescue Plan funds to cover the cost. A total of $765,000 was received under the 2021 law and so far about $140,000 has been spent on a conversion to LED street lights.

The city contracted with Coleman in August to research wall options on a time and materials basis not to exceed $28,000. Stanchina said Monday that the cost of replacing the wall entirely would be $1 million or more.

As part of the project, a sanitary sewer line that runs within the wall would be relocated beneath the upper street section.