St. Joseph County Road Commission staff have been conducting chip seal experiments in the southwest part of the county, the details of which were discussed at a commission work session Wednesday. 

According to John Lindsey, the commission’s managing director, travelers on South River Road may notice a road section with pink and orange paint marks; these marks identify the sections of a test strip. Lindsey told commissioners each section contains a different combination of the ingredients in material called chip sealer. Commission Chairman David Allen told Watershed Voice chip sealer is a tar application with loose rock on top that gradually works its way into the road surface. Its purpose is to prolong the life of new and existing roads by sealing and protecting the asphalt.

“We do science, (but) you get down to the end with chip seal and it turns into an art form,” Lindsey said. 

The experiment’s goal is to determine which mix produces the least bleeding of tar in summer and the best stone adhesion based on weather, traffic, and other conditions, and to pinpoint “the cost per mile of making a better road,” Lindsey said. 

Garret Myland, the road commission’s assistant manager and engineer, said an increase of 0.01 gallons of tar per square yard translates to 130 gallons or $260 per mile. Myland described how testing has helped road commission employees. “We did go up this year (on the amount of tar). I think the calibration on our trucks was a little bit better this year,” Myland said. 

As the material is applied on different roads, adjustments will continue. Road Commissioner Rodney Chupp commended the work. 

“I have attended conferences (around Michigan), and we really do run a high-tech operation, as good as anyone in the state,” Chupp said. “All you’ve got to do is leave the county (to see the difference).” 

STATE BRIDGE FUNDING DISCUSSED

Myland detailed a potential opportunity to replace the Nottawa Road bridge heading south from Mendon. In the past, the commission has executed some bridge projects via the Critical Bridge Fund, an MDOT-administered program that provides funding for bridges needing critical repairs, channeled through counties around Michigan and covering around 90 percent of a project’s cost. However, an MDOT official contacted Myland about the possibility of including the Nottawa Road bridge in a new program that could cover even more of the cost. 

This program is a bridge bundling project, in which MDOT would coordinate and cover most or all of the cost of having a single contractor replace 19 critical bridges around the state. If approved for the project, the Nottawa Bridge would be the only one nearby, Myland said, with the three next-closest bridges under consideration being near Jackson and South Haven, and in Hillsdale County. Myland said if the bridge were selected, the work could move quickly. He has sent the necessary information to MDOT for inclusion in the program, and although nothing is official, Myland indicated the bridge is under serious consideration.

Commissioners asked Myland if the project would involve lengthening of the bridge around flood concerns. Myland said because only the superstructure is up for replacement, the new bridge would have to fit existing piers and abutments. He also said that it was likely that MDOT had already investigated and found the existing dimensions to be within flood control tolerances.

ROAD WORK UPDATE

Lindsey said seasonal dust control work will commence next Tuesday, June 23. Application had to wait until the spring rainy season ended, since high rainfall can wash the treatments away.

Current road and bridge projects around the county have proceeded slowly amidst pandemic restrictions. The bridge work slowdown “doesn’t scare me too much,” said Lindsey. “Bridge projects can wait until winter,” whereas paving work must take place during the warm months.

Responding to commissioner inquiries about the time frames of some paving projects, Lindsey and Myland said most projects are scheduled over very broad date ranges because it keeps the bid costs low, but they try to balance various project priorities and schedule conflicts.

Commissioners also clarified with Lindsey the status of Critical Bridge Fund monies that the County is currently channeling toward work on Constantine Road and a bridge on Coon Hollow Road. Lindsey said the exact financial impacts from COVID-19 are not clear yet, but the full commitment for Constantine Road stands, while there may be a reduction for Coon Hollow. He said based on conversations he was having, the impact would not likely exceed $15,000 out of the roughly $115,000 committed to that project.

ROAD COMMISSION FINANCE UPDATE

Commissioner Eric Shafer reported on-hand assets include $1.1 million worth of gravel and other inventory, as well as $7.2 million in funds, with $5.1 million going out in spending on hot mix asphalt jobs. He said the Michigan Transportation Fund (MTF) is down 12 percent due to COVID-19 impacts, which may have future repercussions, but current projects are proceeding for now. 

Commissioners discussed the possibility of recovering from these impacts. Lindsey said reopening will restart the income stream from the gasoline tax and vehicle registration fees, but unless people actually travel more than usual for the remainder of the year, there is no way to recover the 12 percent that has already been lost, except catch-up on deferred registrations and slightly increased travel as people get back out. Lindsey provided some clarification on how the MTF works. 

“$600 million of that is gas tax and registration fees. $600 million is from the general fund from the legislature,” Lindsey said. “So with COVID, there are going to be some cuts with that. Driving isn’t going to affect things as much as what they do with the general fund.”

Shafer said the total amount for May 2020 payables was down from $1.1 million the previous May due to truck and asphalt purchases at that time. During Shafer’s finance report, commissioners passed motions to pay the current May payroll in the amount of $181,170.60 and bills payable in the amount of $482,896.79.

OTHER ROAD COMMISSION BUSINESS

• Commissioners approved a 3-year management agreement with non-management office staff, providing a 3 percent raise, the first in several years. Although the office staff is not unionized, the agreement mirrors contract provisions governing the labor group, which is represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). 
• With a position recently vacated by retirement, Lindsey said he has conducted interviews with four candidates in preparation to hire a truck driver.
• Commissioners also approved two at-large, incumbent candidates for board positions with the Michigan County Road Commission Self-Insurance Pool. The pool is a statewide entity. The selected candidates include Brett Laughlin of the Ottawa County Road Commission, and Lester Livermore of the Mackinac County Road Commission.
• Commissioner Vince Mifsud inquired about the status of Balk Road, comparing it to a “rumble strip.” Myland said due to a cracked road surface, an asphalt overlay would not be an effective treatment, and repair would require milling and repaving. Lindsey said the road could potentially be considered for work in 2021 or 2022.
• The Watershed Voice followed up with Allen to confirm the St. Joseph County Roads Committee is making plans to start meeting again after the COVID-19 shutdown. This committee includes members of the Road Commission as well as county, city, and township officials, and exists to facilitate communication about road concerns.

Dave Vago is a writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.