Chip & seal work also wraps up

After a full season’s worth of construction, the St. Joseph County Road Commission (SJCRC) has opened a new traffic circle at the intersection of Farrand and Colon Roads just outside Colon. At a SJCRC meeting Wednesday evening, commissioners reviewed video of the circle in use and discussed the project’s success.

Chairman Dave Allen could not attend, so Vice Chairman Eric Shafer presided over the meeting. During the meeting, Shafer said, “I’m really excited that the roundabout is being so well received. It’s a prime example of one of those things that perception starts out and then the reality comes in, and so I’m really happy about that.”

In a follow-up conversation with Watershed Voice after the meeting, Shafer said, “It was quite controversial when we presented it. We filled up the Colon Fire Department’s bay with people. Probably 80 percent were against it, and by the time we were done with that public hearing, it had flip-flopped to probably 80 percent being for it. The remaining 20 percent were quite unhappy about it. Now that it’s open, we’re getting thumbs up from all kinds of people, so it’s being very well received, which is very nice.”

At issue were questions of whether farm equipment and semi-trucks would be able to operate through the roundabout, but Shafer said, “that’s absolutely not the case.” Video reviewed by commissioners showed semi-trucks operating through the circle. “We’re very proud of that project. It’s gone very well,” Shafer said.

Road Commission Assistant Manager and Engineer Garrett Myland said, “I think I’ve taken every single exit at least six times.” He said contractors still have a small bump to eliminate at one of the roundabout’s exits, but also said, “I’m happy with the job.”

Chip Seal Work Wraps Up

Managing Director John Lindsey said Road Commission crews have completed 110 miles of chip seal road surface treatment this year, including 46 miles of primary roads and 64 local roads. Lindsey said the total mileage is slightly lower than usual. Normally, the commission completes a 110-mile target each year, and then solicits local governments around the county to help fund additional miles but did not do so due to pandemic impacts.

The local mileage that was done did include contributions from local jurisdictions through the commission’s cost-sharing allocation fund. 12 townships participated for 2020, contributing at total of $1.23 million which the commission matched on a dollar for dollar basis.

Asphalt Work Continues

For the remainder of the warm-weather road work season, paving projects continue. Shafer said, “There’s still a bunch of asphalt miles that are being put in.” Local jurisdictions also contribute to some of that work. Lindsey said the work includes about 12 miles of paving, or roughly $2.2 million worth of work, that carried over from last year. The total scope of current work, including that carry over, amounts to roughly $4.8 million. Current-season work includes 32.42 miles of hot-melt asphalt paving. “Some is reconstruction, some is overlay, but all of it is black when it’s done. It’s the good stuff.”

Some work is complete, while other jobs are ongoing. ““Hoffman’s gotten done, Nottawa’s gotten done. We’re still going to be working on Wait Road,” Shafer said. Lindsey told commissioners completion of other projects is also forthcoming. Myland said contractor Michigan Paving and Materials has about $1.3 million of work left to do, while Rieth-Riley has about $2.1 million remaining.

“There’s 23.95 miles done, and 16.72 miles to go, but 8.14 that’s going to come down by next Wednesday, weather permitting,” Lindsey said. “They’re calling for rain Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.” The work to be completed by next Wednesday includes a stretch of Burr Oak Road between Burr Oak and M-86, which commissioners said has been an exceptionally rough stretch. “It won’t be by next Wednesday,” Lindsey said.

Other Road Commission Business

•Myland briefly updated commissioners on the status of a proposed plan wherein the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) would replace the Nottawa Road Bridge’s span as part of a statewide bridge replacement effort. Myland and other staff continue to meet at talk with MDOT. A recent meeting was held to evaluate possible detour routes. 

Myland said he addressed concerns over the possibility that the bridge might ever be subject to submersion in a flood. MDOT will conduct additional hydrology studies around the bridge, but Myland told MDOT staff that the water level was controlled by the Lake Templene dam, and the bridge has never had water over it. Commission staff are awaiting more information from MDOT.

•Myland also said MDOT is considering grants to local railroad companies to upgrade three railroad crossings in the county. If it goes through, the work would affect three crossings on the north-south railroad that bisects the west side of the county and parallels U.S.-131 north of Three Rivers. The crossings affected would be the Cotherman Lake and Marcellus Road crossings next to U.S.-131 and the Featherstone Road crossing on the outskirts of Constantine. SJCRC would not participate actively in the project, but would provide facilitation and support for the work.

•Lindsey said staff is preparing to address a graffiti incident at Pulver and Floating Bridge Roads by painting over markings on the blacktop which he said covered an area about the size of the table at Wednesday’s meeting. “We can’t rush out to do that stuff and drop everything we’re doing, but now that we’re getting done with chip seal and getting some things under control, we’re going to try to get out there and get it covered up,” Lindsey said. Commissioners noted that this was a different type of markings from the officially sanctioned mural recently painted on Broadway Street in Three Rivers, which is not in the commission’s jurisdiction.

•In its regular business, the commission approved signature of its annual certifications for employee medical insurance and approved four names for four open positions on the County Road Association Insurance Fund, which is a self-insurance pool that insures operations of agencies like SJCRC across the state.

•During commissioner comments at the end of Wednesday’s meeting, Commissioner Rodney Chupp asked Lindsey about the possibility of replacing chip seal machines and trucks on a more frequent basis. He said other agencies are able to achieve better cost-return ratios by getting better resale prices on newer vehicles once it sells them off and by reducing maintenance expenses.

Dave Vago is a staff 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.