Plan Ahead for $55M in Oakland County Road Construction

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More than $55 million in road improvements planned for the 2015 construction season include projects ranging from road widenings and gravel road paving to resurfacing projects, bridge maintenance and culvert replacements and repairs.

Ron Fowkes, chairman of the Road Commission of Oakland County, said in a news release there are more than $600 million in road needs. Repair funds are dwindling, he said, but “we continue to press forward and appreciate the local communities that are helping to fund many of these projects.”

Road commissioners prioritized projects based on pavement condition and traffic volume.

Oakland County has more roads in poor condition than in good condition, but “funding challenges are our biggest issues,” Eric Wilson, the commission’s vice chairman, said.

The majority of projects planned for 2015 will be paid for primarily with federal funds and the Tri-Party Program (a cooperative effort between Oakland County general government, RCOC and the cities, villages and township of Oakland County).

Work will start on some projects as early as late March. Others will start at various points throughout the construction season.

Here are the projects:

Safety Widenings and Traffic Signals – $28.8 million

• Tienken Road, Paint Creek Trail to Rochester Road. in Rochester Hills (2 lanes to 3) $7.9 million;
• Haggerty Road, north of Pontiac Trail to Richardson, Commerce Twp. (add center left-turn lane), $3.2 million
• Maple Road at Apple Blossom, add left-turn lane and traffic signal upgrade, West Bloomfield, $780,000
• Sashabaw Road/I-75 interchange including Sashabaw/Waldon intersection, Independence Township (new NB I-75 ramp to Sashabaw and dual turn lanes & new signals at Sashabaw/Waldon intersection), $4.1 million
• 14 Mile/Orchard Lake/Northwestern Highway on West Bloomfield Twp./Farmington Hills border (construct roundabout/reconstruct roads), $ 12.8 million

Reconstruct/Replace (completely reconstruct or replace an existing road) – $1 million

• South Hill, Grand River to I-96 in Lyon Twp., $1 million

Repair, Rehabilitate and Resurface (repair road base & add 3 or 4 inches of new asphalt to existing lanes) – $16.5 million

• Lahser Road, 13 Mile to Maple in Beverly Hills and Bloomfield Twp. $4.3 million
• Milford, Pontiac Trail to Milford Village limits in Milford Twp. $5.6 million
• Tienken Road, Adams to Livernois, Rochester Hills $6.6 million (advance construction paid by Rochester Hills, federal funding reimbursement in 2017)

Concrete Slab Replacement – $500,000

• Greenfield Road/10 Mile intersection, Southfield $500,000

Pave Gravel Road (provide paved surface on currently unpaved road) – $3.1 million

• Griswold Road, 8 Mile to 9 Mile in Lyon Twp. $3.1 million

Overlay (adding asphalt layer to road) – $2.2 million

• Hickory Ridge, M-59 to Clyde and West Demode to Fenton, Highland and Rose Twps. $1.5 millon
• Joslyn, Clarkston to Indianwood, Orion Twp. $700,000

Bridge Maintenance – $870,000

• Grand River over the CSX railroad in Novi $450,000
• 10 Mile over the Rouge River in Southfield $150,000
• Cooley Lake over the Clinton River in Waterford Twp. $ 50,000
• Elizabeth Lake over Clinton River in Waterford Twp. $ 55,000
• Walton over the Clinton River in Waterford Twp. $ 65,000
• Andersonville over the Clinton River in Independence Twp. $ 50,000
• Andersonville over the Clinton River in Independence Twp. (second location) $ 50,000

Culvert Replacement – $2.3 million

• 11 Mile over the Blackwood Drain in Lyon Twp. $500,000
• Fish Lake over Swartz Creek in Holly Twp. $700,000
• Maybee over the Sashabaw Creek in Independence Twp. $500,000
• Pontiac Lake Rd., North of M-59 in White Lake Twp. $600,000