Why is MDOT Repaving Two Seemingly Smooth Roads?
By Diana Fairbanks
Tuesday, September 22, 2009 at 1:49 p.m.
Read more: Local, State, Economy, Automotive, Mdot, Road, Interlochen, M 72, Us 31, Diana Fairbanks, Fact Finder, Fact Finder
There are a lot of roads in northern Michigan that need a lot of work. But a viewer wrote in asking about some road construction along her daily drive. She says the road seems fine, so why are crews ripping up the asphalt?
The answer is tonight's Fact Finder report.
The steady stream of cars and trucks on U.S. 31 near Interlochen in Grand Traverse County has come to a stop recently to make way for these vehicles.
The heavy machinery is grinding up asphalt and putting down a new layer.
This would be a welcome sight on many area roads, but a viewer who drives this road every day says the pavement was smooth with no pot holes in sight.
So why is this road being overhauled?
Since U.S. 31 is a state trunk line and falls under the control on the Michigan Department of Transportation.
MDOT Spokesperson Bob Felt says, "we are resurfacing about 5 miles of U.S. 31 in order to keep the pavement in good condition 3-5 years down the road so we don't have to reconstruct, so we don't have to take it out and put pavement back in."
MDOT describes it as preventative maintenance.
And it's not the only project like that. On the other side of Traverse City, MDOT is beginning work on a 16 mile stretch of M-72 into Leelanau County. The condition of the road is even better than that stretch of U.S. 31. No major pavement problems and no potholes.
MDOT says that's actually the perfect time to start these repairs.
Felt says, "the analysis to use on both of these project in terms of keeping them in good shape is a lot like when you go to put another layer of shingles on your house you are not going to wait until water seeps in and damages the walls you're going to put that other layer of shingles on the roof to keep it in good shape. Very similar to what we do on the roadways in different projects."
So how much do these preventative maintenance projects cost? Nearly two million dollars total.
The $800,000 for the U.S. 31 resurfacing will come from MDOT's maintenance budget.
The $926,000 for the M 72 project will come from federal stimulus money: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Both are part of MDOT's long term plan.
Felt says "about 10 years ago we established a goal to have 90% of all of the state's roads and bridges in good condition. We've met that goal and want to continue to keep the roads in good shape so down the road we don't have to spend more money to reconstruct the whole roadway."
I bet you're thinking I can name a dozen roads that need more repairs than those two, but that's not how it works.
The way road repairs are prioritized and funded in our state, MDOT cares for roads that start with I, M or U.S. Then there are county roads and local roads. The nearly two million dollars that's funding these two projects cannot be used on a local neighborhood road.
So what do you think, leave your comments below.
And in case you are wondering, both projects are expected to wrap up in early October, weather permitting.
